Lemon-basil Hummus

We planted too many herbs. And what are you supposed to do with lemon-basil anyway? It looks like basil, it smells like lemons, but it tastes sort of sweet and not unlike those original yellow trix, back when the cereal came as rounded puffs. I've been toying with the idea of putting the lemon-basil into somewhat savory baked goods, like a scone, but because I haven't attempted regular scones yet I didn't want to start with weird ones first. Almost every herb will work in hummus though, and most hummus contains fresh lemon juice already, so lemon-basil hummus seemed like an easy and natural pairing. Feel free to change up this basic recipe on your own. Just remember to include additional lemon juice (1-2 tbs more) if you use non-citrus flavored herbs.


Lemon-basil Hummus

- 15oz can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
- 1/4 cup liquid from can of chckpeas
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1.5 tablespoons tahini
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (virgin/extra virgin)
- 2 tablespoons lemon-basil (leaves crammed into spoon)

Put everything into a 3-cup processor, chopper, or blender (or work in batches if you have a smaller one). Blend until smooth.



You can certainly do this by hand if you don't own a processor or blender, but it required much more labor because you'll need to mash the chickpeas with a fork and finely chop the garlic and herbs.

Best Cupcakes Ever*
* If you love chocolate and are not allergic to nuts!

These cupcakes also happen to be gluten-free, but that's only because they are pretty much just ground up chocolate and almonds held together by eggs and oil. I'm generally not a fan of nuts in baked goods like brownies, but here the ground almonds take the place of flour and it's easy to forget that they are a major ingredient.

I can't take any credit for the recipe. I was looking for a flourless chocolate cake recipe, sort of as an inside joke (and yes, as of this post, still owed to me by Rob W.), and happened upon a fellow food-lover's blog. I don't bake sweets often, but I've made these four times now and they appear to have become a highly anticipated item at summer bbqs. These cupcakes are fantastic (seriously, one of the best things I've ever eaten), and super easy to make.

The full recipe can be found here: http://www.elanaspantry.com/flourless-chocolate-cupcakes

Some comments from my own experience:

Pulse the chocolate and almonds as finely as you can, but it doesn't seem to matter too much if the bits are still rather course. The addition of the liquid ingredients smooths out everything. If you want stretch the recipe to 12 cupcakes (unmodified it makes 10), add 20% more almonds and 20% more chocolate, but don't change the other ingredients.







I've now tried the recipe with both honey and agave nectar. The flavor is very similar with either, but the agave necter provides a richer texture that more closely resembles actual flourless chocolate cake. Agave necter can be expensive though, and it's probably not something most people keep on hand. I found that honey works well, but contains less water, leading to a more viscous batter. When baking with honey, the cupcakes may need 20-22 minutes in the oven, and still won't look completely set. With agave nectar, my baking time was around 15 minutes. Those also looked a little underdone in the end, but my experience with both versions is that the cupcakes firm up nicely while cooling. Neither version will pass the toothpick test as one might do for brownies, so don't bother.

Keep in mind that the unmodified recipe makes only 10 cupcakes. Trust me, unless you are expecting less than 10 people, make a second batch. Particularly if you want to save some for yourself.


What to put on top? Well, how about a nice chocolate cream cheese frosting?
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter (take out before you start the cupcakes)
- 1.5 to 2 cups powdered sugar (I've usually needed a bit less than 2 cups)
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder

Mash the cream cheese and butter with a fork until smooth. You'll want these both at room temperature before you start, the softer the better, but not melted. Mix in powdered sugar, a little at a time. First sort of mash it in, then stir vigorously. Try and get the mix as smooth as possible. Then mix in the cocoa powder. At first it won't seem to take and will become weird and goopy. Keep mixing until everything blends together into a smooth and creamy frosting. If there is any extra frosting, it's great on strawberries.