Peanut Butter Hummus

I’ve been wanting to make a basic hummus for awhile. But finding tahini was a serious limiting factor. I don’t know what it is about general grocery stores in Memphis, but they stink. I couldn’t even find canned pumpkin the other day.

While driving back from my third grocery store, I started to think about what things might be good tahini substitutes. Which made me realize I have no idea what tahini really is. Google search told me it is ground sesame seeds. So like nut butter? Wait… wait… peanut butter!? Huge light bulb over my head. I’m surprised it didn’t blind the other drivers on the road. But at the same time I worried – this could either be the best idea ever, or totally gross. Only one way to find out.

After changing up a few other ingredients (didn’t really think lemon juice and garlic would pair well with peanut butter, but I could be mistaken) I hesitantly dipped in a stick of celery. Moment of truth… ::bite, chew:: …I think I like it… ::another bite, chew:: …yup totally in love! Not a dessert dip, but not your plain old hummus either. It’s my new favorite snack dip and it has peanut butter in it, hooray!

So here is today’s motto – “No tahini? No problem, just use peanut butter!” Serve with carrots, celery, and crackers. Or pretzels! Or maybe apple slices.

P.S. I did end up finding canned pumpkin and tahini paste at Fresh Market. But I don’t regret making this with peanut butter :-).

PEANUT BUTTER HUMMUS

Makes approximately 1 cup

Ingredients:

1 can (14.5 oz) Garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Salt

2-4 Tbsp cold water

1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Place garbanzo beans, peanut butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon into a food processor (or blender). Pulse until mixture is mostly smooth. Add salt to taste.
2. Add water one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency reached. Add oil and pulse a couple times to mix. Transfer mixture to a bowl and serve immediately. Store any leftovers  in refrigerator.

Source: The Spiffy Cookie original, but Bob came up with the vanilla idea to substitute for lemon juice.