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Chocolate Bourbon Chai Latte Cupcakes with Butter Pecan Frosting. Extra chocolatey cupcakes made with bourbon, chai spice, and rich chocolate pieces. Each cupcake is frosted with the most delicious creamy butter pecan frosting and finished with a sprinkling of toasted brown sugar pecans. Soo much here to love! You can’t beat these cute little bite-size pecan pie cupcakes. They’ll be the hit of your Thanksgiving dessert table!
Yes, you can make a pecan pie this Thanksgiving – OR, you can step outside of the norm with these fun chocolate pecan pie cupcakes. Both are good, but cute cupcakes are so much more fun.
Plus, I personally think these are actually better than pie. These have a lot of yummy elements that all work so well together – they’re delicious!
When it comes to the Thanksgiving dessert table, I like to have classic dessert flavors, but something besides just pies. I have fun every year coming up with new desserts. Desserts with similar-ish flavors to the classics, but with different twists, or in different forms.
It’s fun! Years ago I made pecan pie cupcakes that to this day are one of my favorite desserts on the site. But they’re involved. So this year I wanted to try a fresh idea, but still with pecan pie as the inspiration.
And then I came up with these. They’re kind of like chai latte meets yummy chocolate pecan pie. And the frosting just makes them even better.
The details
You need vanilla, chai, and a good amount of warming autumn spices, plus butter and chocolate. And then, of course, the pecans and bourbon too!
For the cupcakes, I knew I really wanted the chai flavor to shine. To achieve this, I used a mix of steeped chai milk and my homemade chai spice. The chai spice mix is key, it really brings the aromas of fall into the kitchen and into each cupcake.
Before you start the cupcake batter, make the chai spice mix. It’s a blend of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, all-spice, cloves, and the tiniest bit of black pepper. You’ll be using half of the spice mix in the cupcake batter, and the remainder to decorate.
Next, make the batter. Bring some milk to a gentle boil, then add a few chai tea bags and allow the tea to steep in the warm milk.
While the tea cools, mix up the batter, then stream the chai milk into the cupcake batter until just combined. Divide the batter up between the cupcake molds and bake.
The smells coming from the oven will have you so excited. It’s like fall in the air, with cozy scents of chai mixed with hints of bourbon, sweet chocolate, and brown sugar – all wafting throughout your kitchen.
Now the frosting
It’s my go-to brown sugar frosting with bourbon-toasted pecans.
First, melt the brown sugar together with butter and cream, then mix with powdered sugar and vanilla. Next, toast the pecans with brown sugar, bourbon, and salt, chop, and sprinkle over each cupcake.
You can also stir the pecans into the frosting.
The frosting makes it hard to say no to a second cupcake. Each bite is filled with sweet chocolate bourbon chai-spiced cupcake and light, fluffy frosting with a crunch from the pecans on top.
Oh my gooosssh, SO amazing.
These are the perfect Thanksgiving cupcakes! My best advice is to bake these up this weekend. Because, of course, you’ll need to test out the recipe before Thanksgiving Day. Take any extras to neighbors to share and then make these again for Thanksgiving. This weekend can be a little pre-taste test party!
Looking for other Thanksgiving desserts?? Here are my favorites:
Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie
Lastly, if you make these Chocolate Bourbon Chai Latte Cupcakes with Butter Pecan Frosting, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Chocolate Bourbon Chai Latte Cupcakes with Butter Pecan Frosting
Servings: 15 cupcakes
Calories Per Serving: 380 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Chai Spice
- 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon all-spice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Cupcakes
- 1 cup milk
- 2 bags chai tea
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
- 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons bourbon
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup raw pecans
Butter Pecan Frosting
- 2 sticks salted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2-3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- 1. To make the chai spice. In a shallow bowl, combine the cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, all-spice, cloves, and pepper. Reserve the chai spice blend for the cupcake batter. 2. To make the cupcakes. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line 15 cupcake molds with paper liners. Bring the milk to a gentle boil in a small pot. Remove from the heat and add the tea bags, cover, and steep 10 minutes.3. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the coconut oil, brown sugar, vanilla, bourbon, and eggs until combined. Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 3 teaspoons of the chai spice mix (or more to your taste). Stream in the chai milk, beating until just combined.4. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pan. Transfer to the oven and bake 22-25 minutes, until the tops are just set, and no longer wiggly in the center. Remove and let cool.5. During the same time, line a baking sheet with parchment. Toss the pecans with 1 tablespoon bourbon, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 -2 teaspoons chai spice, and a pinch of salt. Bake 8-10 minutes, until toasted. Once cool, chop. 6. To make the frosting. Melt together 1 stick butter, brown sugar, and cream in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes, or until the sugar has dissolved. Add a pinch of salt. Remove from the heat and add to the bowl of a stand mixer. Place the bowl in the freezer (or fridge for longer) for 15 minutes or until cool to touch.7. Grab the cooled butter mixture from the freezer and add the remaining 1 stick butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar to the bowl. Beat together until well combined, adding more sugar as needed.9. Frost each cupcake and sprinkle with pecans.
Fabulous!!Complex seasonal flavors to perfection! I made the cupcakes one day, and did the frosting the next morning. This is a keeper!
Hey Libby,
Happy Tuesday!! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it turned out tasty for you! xT
recipe turned out pretty good! cupcakes turned out a little dry, but i may have cooked them for a bit too long. do you have any tips on how to text exactly when your cupcakes are done so you don’t over-bake them? (i baked them for around 18 mins, did the top touch check and saw they sprung back)
Hey Kita,
Happy Tuesday!! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it turned out tasty for you! You can stick a toothpick in the center, if it comes out clean they are done:) xT
I don’t see the chocolate chunks listed in the ingredients.
Hey Daniel,
The chocolate chunks were just something extra I put in mine and totally not needed for the recipe:) Please let me know if you give these a try! xT
The frosting is delicious but a bit soupy and the cupcake is not sweet at all. Any suggestions on how to improve?
Hi Beth,
Sounds like your frosting needs some more powdered sugar. I guess you could add more sugar to the cupcake to your liking. I hope this helps! xx
This recipe is delicious! I turned it into a mini birthday cake! It was a hit! Thank you for the fun flavors!
Hey Michelle,
Awesome!! 🍂 I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for trying it out! xx
Are these mini cupcakes? Or does it make 15 regular size cupcakes?
Hey Tamara,
This recipe will make regular sized cupcakes! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Hello! Can I sub Tennessee whiskey for the bourbon?!
Hey Kristen,
Sure, I bet that would work well for you! I hope this recipe turns out amazing, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
Unpopular opinion-I hate chai. I know, I know. So if I leave everything out chai, do I need to add anything? If I do need to add something, what do I add? Would it negatively effect the taste?
Hey Ashley,
I would follow this recipe:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/chocolate-bourbon-pecan-pie-cupcakes-butter-pecan-frosting/
Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope this recipe turns out well for you! xx
These cupcakes taste AMAZING!!! But I have no idea what happened with my frosting. Instead of being able to do an adorable whooshed swirl, I have frosting soup atop my cupcakes.
Hey Ash,
So glad to hear the cupcakes were enjoyed! Was there anything you adjusted in the frosting? Does it need more powdered sugar? Let me know! xx
I made them tonight and the flavor is amazing. However, they were dry. Any suggestions?
Hey Caitlin,
Thanks so much for trying these cupcakes, so sorry to hear they were dry! Were they possible baked for too long? Let me know!! xT
These look so delicious! I plan to make these for thanksgiving this year. Any recommendations on how long they keep for? I’m wondering how many days in advance I could make them and still be fresh for thanksgiving day. Also, would you store in the fridge or room temperature? Thank you! Your recipes are always a hit.
Hey Morgann,
These are good stored in an airtight container at room temp for 3-4 days. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe:) xx
Do you need to make the chai spice and buy the chai tea bag? Or is it either or? Thanks!
Hey Megan,
You are going to need both:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
Just a question – the photo shows chopped chocolate but I don’t see it in the recipe. Can you clarify ? Thanks!
Hey Sara,
If you want to add some extra chocolate, you can add a chopped bar. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Love these. I have made them a few times in the last year and I’m making them again this weekend for a party. Any suggestions of where I can buy tiny cinnamon sticks for garnish. I can’t find them anywhere.
Hey Deanna,
Happy Wednesday! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it and sharing your feedback! You should be able to find cinnamon sticks in the spice aisle. If not, I would order online:) xx
Hi 🙂 these look phenomenal, thank you.
I wanted to ask if I could substitute coconut oil with something else due to an allergy?
Also do you think I could use the batter to bake it as a loaf cake instead of cupcakes?
Thank you 😊
Thanks so much Vik!! You could use another neutral oil in place of coconut oil. I’m not sure how a loaf cake would work, but you could totally do a a cake pan, that would be great! I hope you love this recipe:) xx
There are a lot of flavors going on here, but they all meshed together really well! The only reason I gave 4 stars was because the bake time seems much too long. I checked the cupcakes at 20 minutes and they were already overbaked; 22-25 would have been much too long. Next time I think I will start checking them at about 10 minutes. Also, the cooked butter/brown sugar mixture took much more than 15 minutes in the freezer to become cool to the touch. I do intend to try these again sometime! I love the warm chai spices with the chocolate, and the frosting itself is delightful.
Hey Valerie,
Amazing!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review:) Sorry about the bake time!! xxT
I think the baking time is different for a lot of people because Tieghan is at a higher altitude so her baked goods take longer. I always use less time for baking when using her recipes because of this. I usually start checking mine 10 or so minutes before her allotted time. Hope this helps. 🙂