Chocolate Hazelnut Dessert Chickpea Hummus

Holy Hummus! Drop everything you were planning on doing today and get your booty in the kitchen. We're making Chocolate Hazelnut Dessert Hummus!

Yesss, you heard it right... Nutella. Hummus. Chocolate/Dessert hummus is ALL the rage right now, and it's a bandwagon that I'm MORE that happy to hop right now.

However, every time I say the phrase to someone whose nose isn't continuously stuck in their trend-tastic Instagram foodie feed (<-- me), their immediate reaction is "uhh, sounds... weird..." And I totally get that!

The word hummus immediately conjures up a flavor-memory that's pungent with garlic, maybe a little lemon, some spiciness, maybe roasted red peppers. A whole bunch of flavors that have no business being brought into the dessert world. Unless you're on some funky episode of Chopped and Tim Allen is feeling extra evil that day.

But if you can let go of that memory for a second, think about what hummus is at its core:

• A bunch of chickpeas that magically become smooth, but are mostly flavorless. That's key!
• A little nut/seed butter for creaminess and flavor.
• And whatever added (typically savory) flavors your heart desires.

So if we swap in all the savory flavors for sweet ones and add some chocolate, we quickly make the most decadent treat that edges on just a little healthy!

How to make Chocolate Hazelnut Dessert Hummus:

1. Instead of using tahini, which is traditional in hummus, we'll create a quick roasted hazelnut butter. By roasting the hazelnuts first, we release more oils which bring out the flavor!
2. Next we blend in the chickpeas, adding cocoa powder, vanilla extract, salt, maple syrup and sugar. Easy peasy!
3. Then, the key to ultra creamy hummus is to drizzle in ice water while the food processor whizzes around. Because there aren't a lot of liquids in this hummus, we'll need to add a lot more water than we might with a traditional hummus.

And that's it! I highly suggest dipping in with berries, graham crackers or pretzels. Make a batch for yourself and have a healthy-ish dessert to snack on in the evenings or make a big batch next time you're having company and bring out all the dippers!

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Chocolate Hazelnut Dessert Hummus

Servings 2 cups

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw hazelnuts
• 1 can chickpeas
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/2 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup ice water

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375ºF. Place hazelnuts on a sheet pan and roast for 10-12 minutes until fragrant and just starting to brown. Remove from the oven to a clean tea towel. Wrap towel around the hazelnuts and rub together for 2 minutes to release some of the skins.
• Make sure you've put 1/2 a cup of water in the freezer to get really cold.
• Place the hazelnuts in a food processor with the S-blade attached. Turn on high for 2-3 minutes until a runny hazelnut butter forms, scraping down the sides a couple times. It should be a similar consistency to runny natural nut butter.
• Add the chickpeas, cocoa powder, maple syrup, sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Buzz in the processor on high for 1 minute until smooth, but thick. Scrap down the sides. Turn back on low and slowly drizzle the ice water in. Turn up to high and let run for 2 minutes until totally smooth.
• Put the hummus in an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes to cool down and let the flavors come together. Serve with fruit, graham crackers, pretzels or just a spoon 😉