I’m very hit or miss when it comes to chai spices. I guess my only real experiences with the chai-flavor, is in tea form. It’s rare that I try a chai tea that I fully enjoy. They typically end up too sweet or spicy, and sometimes too potent. Once in awhile though, the spices are just right.

Spice mixing can seem scary. Especially when dealing with 6 very strong spices. Alone, each of the below spices have very deep + complex flavors. Mix them together and who knows what will happen?

I typically add the tiniest pinch of cloves in my recipes, so deciding to put a whole whopping teaspoon into this fairly small mixture, had me a bit scared. But somehow, once all mixed together, it turned into everything I was looking for.

warm.

spicy.

deep.

rich.

Tastes like winter. Feels like it around here too! Hello temperatures in the single digits!

Chai Spice Mix

2t cinnamon
2t ginger
1t cardamom
1t cloves
1/4t nutmeg
1/4t all spice

Mix together and store in a sealed jar or spice container.

If you’re lucky enough to have a bulk spice section in your store, this should cost well under $1 to make. If you don’t have a bulk spice aisle, try to find the mini McCormick jars, for a great deal!

This spice mix is totally customizable. If you want a little more spicy zing, add 1/2-1t more ginger. White pepper is another common spice added to chai. You can also get away with just using the ginger, cardamom, clove + cinnamon.

So what made me randomly decide to mix up these spices?

Oh you know, to make nut butter! I’ve had this recipe in mind for at least 2 months, but have become quite lazy with my nut butter making. There hasn’t been a new recipe in far too long.

I’ve become strangely addicted to the oh so convenient + cheap, peanut butter. Somehow I’ve banished buying cans of beans, to soak + cook my own, but started by jars of peanut butter?? In my defense, they’re on sale all the time, and I always have coupons! They end up costing less than buying plain organic peanuts, to then process into nut butter, so I tell myself it’s acceptable.

I seem to have completely forgotten how easy it is to make and how freaking delicious it tastes.

Customizing your own nut butter will make you feel extra fancy, especially when you have guests over. You can wow them with your creations. They will have no idea how you did it!

Better yet? Fill an 8oz mason jar with this fancy stuff, tie an even fancier ribbon around the outside, and gift this to your friends + family.

Chai Spice Almond Butter

2c almonds
1T honey
2.5-3t chai spice
1t vanilla extract
1/4-1/2t salt

On a baking sheet, lightly toast your almonds at 175* for 40min, turning a few times.
Let cool 10min, then add to your food processor and turn on.
Let run for about 8-12min, scraping the sides of the bowl when necessary, until the almonds become creamy. It will change from crumbs, to a big ball of dough and then eventually smooth out to a creamy texture.
In a bowl, combine the honey, chai spices, vanilla + salt and mix well.
Empty the nut butter into the bowl and stir together until completely combined.
Store in a sealed jar in the fridge.

tips/substitutions: You can toast the almonds at 350* for about 15-20min, turning once half-way through. I like to keep the oven temp lower, to maintain the integrity of the oil in the nuts. Sub any liquid sweetener you like instead of honey. Never add milk or water to nut butter to thin it out as it doesn’t work at all. If your nut butter has been processing for over 15min, try adding 1/2T oil and see if that helps to loosen it up. Add 1/2T more if needed. I use a heavy duty, 11c food processor, which works really well with 2c of nuts. If you’re using a 7c, I would reduce the amount to 1.5c and adjust the spices accordingly. In my experience, I’ve found that adding liquid sweetener to the nut butter can thicken it to the point where it won’t smooth out. Adding it after, and mixing in a bowl, helps to solve this problem.

If you don’t have a food processor, stir this into about 1.5c of store bought, unsweetened almond butter.

Please prepare for an onslaught of chai recipes. I already have at least 5 in mind, some of which I’m sure you can guess. Be thankful, as it seems to have drawn my attention away from pumpkin.