Pistachio Chai Muffins

My dad always loved Pistachios.  For Christmas, he'd find a bag of them, always red, in his stocking, and I can remember him sitting in his "CB Room" chair eating them.

For some reason, despite the prevalence of pistachios in my childhood, I don't think I've ever tasted them.  It may be that unsightly red stain or some other reason, but I just never did.

When making these muffins, of course I had to try, and they are in fact quite tasty--even unsalted.  Definitely different from other nuts I've had, and of course, no stain.

I made these lovelies for my children to eat at daycare.  I was setting them up with breakfast when my four year old reminded me "no nuts at school!"  Oops.  We tasted them at home, and they were really delicious.

I was hesitant about the whole concept of EATING tea; for whatever reason, this just seems wrong.  But it isn't gross, though it's surely more caffeine than I should be handing my two OR four year old, but I wasn't thinking... obviously (see nuts above).

Taking some of the recommendations on the recipe's comments, I made a few modifications, adding a third teabag, another teaspoon of vanilla, a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, and a pinch of cardamom.  The end result was quite tasty; it was much like a spice cake but with much more interesting flavors and the delightful green crunch of the nuts on top.

Pistachio Chai Muffins Adapted from Cooking Light

• 7 9/10 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 3/4 cups)
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
•   3chai blend tea bags, opened
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pinch ground cardamom 
• 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1/4 cup butter, melted 
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten 
• Cooking spray 
• 1/3 cup shelled dry-roasted pistachios, chopped

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Weigh or measure flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Cut open tea bags; add tea, cinnamon, and cardamom to flour mixture, stirring well. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine buttermilk, butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and egg in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.  Don't overmix!
3. Coat a 12 cup muffin pan with cooking spray. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle nuts evenly over batter. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in pan on a wire rack.