Chai Gingerbread Bars

I have a slight obsession with chai tea lattes. They’re the perfect cold weather comfort drink, and they remind me of blistery winter days in New York. If I was having a rough morning, or extra cold, I’d pick one up for myself as a treat on my 20 degree weather walk into work.

Dallas doesn’t have as many of these cold, frigid days, but I allow myself to embrace a chai tea latte on any day that’s below 70 degrees. Because I’m pretty much always cold anyway.

So I was obviously intrigued when I saw these chai gingerbread bars on Tasty Kitchen. They definitely feel more like a fall/winter weather treat, but I’m not scared to enjoy something out of season. They’re perfectly delectable on their own, but they would also be great served warm with cinnamon ice cream or fresh whipped cream on top.

Chai Gingerbread Bars

2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Allspice
1 teaspoon Chai Tea Leaves (from one chai tea bag – I used this kind)
1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
½ teaspoons Baking Soda
1 cup Butter, Softened
1 cup Dark Brown Sugar
½ cups Turbinado (raw sugar – white sugar can be substituted)
2 whole Large Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 Tablespoon Fresh Grated Ginger

Preheat oven 350F. Spray a 9×13 baking pan.

In a bowl, put flour, all the spices, chai tea and baking soda. Mix together.

In your mixer, beat the butter with the sugars until soft. One at a time, add the eggs. Beat until they are combined. Mix in the vanilla and grated ginger. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture. Blend until the flour is blended in.

Scoop the batter into the pan. Spread it around evenly over the bottom of the pan. With a greased spatula (sprayed with a bit of cooking spray, because the batter is pretty sticky!), smooth out the batter. Sprinkle the top with white sugar (totally optional). It doesn’t look like a lot of batter, but it works.

Bake for about 25 minutes. When you poke it with a toothpick, it should come out clean with a few moist crumbs. Cool completely before cutting.