Blueberry Butterfly Pea Flower Muffins

Who doesn't love a mini muffin? Sometimes we need the perfect little bite with our morning cup of coffee or a tasty snack to keep us going. These darling muffins are just the thing. They get their sky blue color from Butterfly Pea Flowers. We opted to make these gluten-free for everyone's enjoyment. Little pops of sweet blueberries complement the muffins' excellent green tea-like flavor. They're really enjoyable and won't weigh you down like a traditional muffin would. Bake a batch and enjoy them throughout the week — they'll keep moist and delicious. We love using Butterfly Pea Flower as an all natural food dye! Check out our Galaxy Pops and Butterfly Horchata recipes for more blue beauties.

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Cranberry Quince Paste

This magical combination brings quince into the spotlight and adds a new level of flavor to the cranberries on your holiday table. Quince is a fanciful fruit, with a bright aroma and a taste of ripe pear and key lime. Ripe quince can be found in Seattle backyards around the early fall. Finding them frozen at a Latin or Asian grocery store is another option too.The key to success is reducing the quince and cranberry paste far enough that the pectin found in the quince will gel up and keep its shape when cooled. This paste will taste nostalgic to those who like the solid sauce, but far from the canned variety you had as a kid. It'll be sharp enough to cut any rich side dishes but also be warm and sweet from the cinnamon and star anise found in the Mulling Spice.If you're unable to find quince, a firm pear with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice will be a good substitute. As the sauce reduces it should cook down thick enough that when you scrape the bottom of the pan with a spoon the jam won't immediately fill in the space again.

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Cinnabutter Trail Mix

Calling all peanut butter lovers! This hodge-podge of textures is great recipe for you. It's salty, sweet, crunchy, and nutty - just what you want in a snack. What makes our trail mix so special is the peanut butter fudge mixture that brings it all together. To make it warm and fragrant we added our Cinnamon Toast Spice. It has all of our cinnamons plus a dash of nutmeg making every crunchy bite memorable. This is perfect for that weekend hike or for movie night. It also makes a great gift for your fellow peanut butter lover.

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Caribbean Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Pineapple upside down cake has been a cherished dessert for generations, with fond memories going back before the 1950's. We decided it was about time to give the recipe a bit of a facelift while still keeping true to the its roots. What we ended up with is a cake that's fruity, bold, and more flavorful than ever. A melody of allspice and bay leaves give this upside down cake a vibrant Caribbean flair, although the true star of the show here is long pepper. The pine cone-shaped spice is gingery and has notes of cardamom and black pepper. This flavor in the gooey caramel at the bottom layer of this cake is simply other-worldly. Buttery, fluffy, fruity, spicey — this is everything you'd want wrapped up in one drool-worthy dessert!

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Piña Colada

One sip of this cocktail will take you right to the beach. This creamy, frozen drink is ridiculously easy to drink. There's a reason you'll find these in paradise destinations. So make yourself a pitcher of this Caribbean favorite, kick back in a beach chair, and enjoy! For a layer of aromatic bliss, shave some nutmeg on top before taking a sip. Nothing compares to freshly grated Nutmeg - the warmth compliments the rum and coconut. Experiment further and add Jamaican Allspice or our Kashmiri Garam Masala to give a little extra something-something to your staycation.

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Mango Rooibos Iced Tea

Rooibos is an herbal tea from South Africa. It has delicate hints of caramel and woody flavors. Once steeped, it turns a gorgeous rusty-red color. We added aromatic Jamaican Allspice as the secret ingredient in this brew, having notes of nutmeg, cloves and black pepper. For a touch of warmth we added Cassia Chip Cinnamon and sweet mango puree to brighten your glass. Delicious, thirst quenching, and good for you; sipping this tea is a great way to keep cool on a hot summer day!

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Floral Chia Seed Pudding

This go-to summer breakfast has infinite possibilities. We used chia seeds which are full of protein, antioxidants and fiber. Once they soak overnight in liquid, they plump up and have a tapioca-like texture that is both filling and easy to build on other flavors. Here we brewed some Floral Sonnets tea, adding a touch of honey and some Beet Powder, resulting in the beautiful magenta layer for this parfait. For the royal blue-colored pudding, we used Butterfly Pea Flower with almond milk. The next day build your parfait with the layers by adding seasonal berries and yogurt. This parfait cup will taste of chamomile, ginger and cinnamon, which bring warmth to the tangy yogurt. It's both festive and a great way to start any breakfast!

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Tea Picnic

This post is for those of us who like the crusts cut off. The extra effort and attention that goes into making these beautiful tea sandwiches shows in every detail — the sweet shapes, the colorful combinations and, as always, the thoughtful flavor pairings. Make a platter for friends or a plate for yourself and enjoy a lazy summer picnic while the weather is fine. Since we're taking this picnic over the top, we've suggested some tea pairings as well. You can check out easy methods for cold brewing here!A bold curried egg salad is seasoned with our French inspired Vadouvan Curry, served on whole wheat bread and a cherry tomato topper. The flavor is deep and rich in this toasted blend with cumin, cardamom, mustard seeds, black pepper and fenugreek seeds. With a squeeze of lemon juice and watercress, these sandwiches go great with a malty Indian black tea like our Keemun black tea. For a cooling crunch with spectacular flavor, we seasoned the cucumber sandwich with our Orange Tarragon. This blend has chives, shallots, garlic and black pepper, adding many layers of flavor to the cream cheese spread complimenting the cucumbers. These cucumber sandwiches are anything but boring! Pair them with a cup of Rwandan Green Tea which is a vegetal green tea that will cut through the rich cream cheese and compliment the cooling cucumber. Because no picnic is complete without dessert, we made a sweet finish, open-faced mascarpone sandwiches. The creamy mascarpone gets its speckles from Madagascar vanilla beans that not only smell amazing, but go great with berries and a sprinkle of lemon zest. To finish off our tea picnic we paired a bold cup of Earl Grey with this sandwich. This classic tea is scented with bergamot, a perfect combo with the vanilla bean and sweet blackberries.

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Pink Pepper Cardamom Bars

Rhubarb is a perfect flavor combination with strawberries. To jazz it up, we added spices! Piney Cardamom Seed and lime zest accent and elevate the fruit base. Crunchy walnuts add texture and to the oat crumb topping and Pink Peppercorn give a tingly pop of flavor. These fragrant bars are citrusy and have fruity sour layers, and the spices really bring something new to the table.Rhubarb and strawberries are delightful in these bars, but you can try other fruits and berries too, like raspberries, blackberries or blueberries. The recipe is endlessly adaptable. If you're feeling decadent, top the bars with whipped cream!

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