With the arrival of fall, that means it’s time for chai flavors! Enjoy these sprouted wheat vanilla chai bars with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or your favorite hot beverage!
Although I have been baking for many years, I haven’t been around or really heard of sprouted wheat. According to my friends at Google, sprouted wheat flour is a finely ground, powdery, whole grain plant food made by intentionally sprouting the excellent quality whole grains and then milling them. The flour made from these grains provides more protein, vitamins and minerals. So apparently it is an even more nutrient-rich flour that is typically used in breads.
I was gifted a package of sprouted wheat by a friend and finally got around to baking with it. Since the weather was getting chillier, I was craving some hot chai. I bought a cup at a coffee shop and happily sipped on it during a cold morning. That evening, I was inspired to make some chai-flavored dessert. And thus, these bars were born.
These vanilla chai bars resemble a blondie, only with chai spices and the sprouted wheat flour. Then they are sprinkled with a crunchy chai sugar for a fun, contrasting topping. If you want, you can also drizzle on some melted white chocolate.
Everyone that received these chai bars loved them. They are very similar to the texture of classic blondies, and the flavor definitely was of chai. The extra sprinkling of the chai sugar was a fun touch. Next time I may drizzle on some white chocolate for an additional flavor and for decoration.
Hope you all enjoy these!
Sprouted wheat vanilla chai bars
Ingredients
Bars
- 2 cups sprouted wheat flour can substitute with all-purpose or even whole wheat
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 teaspoons chai spice if you don't have this, use 1 and 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon cardamom, 1/2 teaspoon cloves, 1/4 teaspoon finely ground white pepper, and 1/2 to 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 2/3 cup unsalted butter
- 2 cups light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
Topping
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- 3/4 teaspoon chai spice or 3/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 3/8 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
Instructions
Make the bars
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease or line a 9"x13" baking pan and set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and spices. Set aside.
- In a medium sized saucepan, melt the butter. Add the brown sugar and mix until most of the brown sugar has melted. The mixture should become smooth and glossy. Remove from the heat and transfer to a large bowl and allow to cool down for about 5 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well. Finally, fold in the dry ingredients and mix until no dry streaks remain. The batter will be thick.
- Transfer the batter to your prepared baking pan and make sure to spread it evenly. Bake in your preheated oven for 17-21 minutes for chewier bars or 23-27 minutes for cakier bars. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out with a few crumbs. The tops of the bars will rise and fall. Allow the bars to cool for at least 15 minutes before adding the topping.
Prepare and add the topping
- Mix the chai spice and sugar together in a small bowl. Brush the melted butter on top of the cooled bars. Sprinkle the top with the chai and sugar mixture, tilting the pan to evenly distribute everything.