Knit Mason Jar Cozy & Coconut Chai

Two of my favorite things in one post, knitting & cooking!

More like, blending, not so much cooking!

Last week I made a mason jar cozy using MisoCraftyKnits pattern! It was so fast & fun! It fits perfectly!

I used some tosh merino dk in vanilla bean and size 5 needles. I followed the ribbing for the convertible pattern but mine doesn't fold down since I usually only drink from the pint jars.

I think my fall treats are going to be a Cuppow & some David's Tea! I've never tried either, I wish I could buy David's tea locally so I could smell it and see which ones I like best. If only the internet had scratch and sniff....but on second thought that might be a rotten idea.

I love chai tea, it's one of my favorite fall treats, it's spicy and cinnamon-y and a little bit sweet. I like that! But it's still summer and it's too hot for hot tea! All summer long I've been playing around with making iced chai more summer-y.

Enter Coconut Emulsion! Fancy right? Not really! I think I've told you guys about this before. You can buy it online or at most cooking supply shops, I've never seen it at grocery stores but if you live in a larger city you might be able to find something similar there! This bottle will last you FOREVER. Trust me on this. Last fall I bought a jar of pumpkin so I could make my own pumpkin spice simple syrup and for some reason I thought two tablespoons would be plenty...in reality it's more like a teaspoon was needed. One sip and I thought I was going to die. Totally gross-town. Less is more with emulsions.

So what I do is make a bunch of chai concentrate, I make mine from scratch using this recipe as a base and I edit it, sometimes more cardamon or less cloves, always more orange and a heavy dash of vanilla bean paste, it really all depends what I have on hand & what I can beg my mom to mail me. She has access to better spices than I do. ;) I almost always make mine decaf, I rarely drink caffeine.

Sometimes I buy Trader Joe's brand chai latte mix which is good! But you can use Oregon or whatever you like. I make a few pint jars of concentrate at once, I'll either keep them in the fridge or freezer. After you strain the spices out (or have finished mixing from a mix!) I start to add coconut emulsion and start with a 1/4 teaspoon at a time, tasting frequently, especially if you are making just one mug full. Then I like to freeze coconut milk in ice cube trays and add them in! My favorite way to drink it is to put it in a mason jar and shake the heck out of it, the chai will froth and be super cold and amazing. I drink Silk brand Vanilla Coconut milk, it has a smoothness I like more than almond milk.

Also, this emulsion is amazing in homemade pina coladas. Just saying! ;)

:):)