tulsi – The Herbal Bake Shoppe https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com Bringing herbalism & baking together Tue, 20 Feb 2018 17:35:21 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Peace and Light Herbal Tea https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/recipe/peace-and-light-herbal-tea/ https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/recipe/peace-and-light-herbal-tea/#respond Tue, 26 Dec 2017 19:03:35 +0000 https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/?post_type=recipe&p=2387
peace and love herb blendpeace and love herb blend
preparing peace and love teapreparing peace and love tea
peace and love teapeace and love tea

Maybe it’s the times. I hear it said a lot, these are trying times we are living in and I wonder about all the history before us and suffering. It’s impossible to not be aware of horror, nightmare, sadness – so many people all over the world are facing. I wish I could bottle up all the peace, comfort and light that I feel when I drink this tea and send it out to them, everyone. I wish there was a way to help.

If you need some comforting, please make this tea. If you need the herbs to make it with, tell me – I will send you them.

Peace and Light Herbal Tea
Blending dried herbs for tea infusions give us the opportunity to create flavors, aromas, and experiences. This one offers sweetness and calm, a lift for aching hearts or sunshine on a gloomy day. There's a little more time involved than brewing a cup of tea from a teabag, but even that effort can help provide some extra peace and comfort.
Servings Prep Time
1quart (4 cups) 10minutes
Cook Time
30minutes
Servings Prep Time
1quart (4 cups) 10minutes
Cook Time
30minutes
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons dried holy basilalso called tulsi, Latin name - Ocimum tenuiflorum
  • 1 1/2tablespoons dried linden flowerLatin name -Tilia cordata
  • 3tablespoons dried milky oat topsLatin name - Avena sativa
  • 2teaspoons dried lemon verbenaLatin name - Aloysia citrodora
  • 1/2teaspoon dried rose petalsLatin name - Rosa damascena
  • 4cups (1 quart/32 ounces) water
Instructions
  1. In large saucepan, bring water to gentle simmer over moderate low heat.
  2. Combine dried herbs in medium bowl. When water has come to simmer, remove from heat and add herbs. Stir gently with a wooden spoon or chopstick to assure all herbs are immersed in water. Cover and steep for 30 minutes.
  3. Prepare to strain tea by lining a fine mesh strainer with a piece of cheesecloth large enough to drape over the sides of the strainer. Place strainer over a large bowl, preferably one with a pouting spout or a pitcher.
  4. Strain tea by pouring liquid through cheesecloth lined strainer into bowl below. Gather up herbs into cheesecloth and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Herbs can now be added to compost materials.
  5. Store tea in a 1 quart Mason jar, or any glass jar or pitcher. Tea can be stored in refrigerator for 3-4 days, reheated or sipped at room temperature or iced.
Recipe Notes

*All herbs were sourced from Mountain Rose Herbs and Rosemary's Garden, but any dried herb supplier is fine, organic herbs preferred.

]]> https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/recipe/peace-and-light-herbal-tea/feed/ 0 Vegan Tulsi Chocolate Chip Cookies https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/recipe/vegan-tulsi-chocolate-chip-cookies/ https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/recipe/vegan-tulsi-chocolate-chip-cookies/#respond Tue, 04 Apr 2017 19:06:49 +0000 https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/?post_type=recipe&p=1979
gluten free chocolate chip cookiesgluten free chocolate chip cookies
recipe planning with tulsirecipe planning with tulsi
tulsi chocolate chip chickpea flour cookiestulsi chocolate chip chickpea flour cookies

These cookies were inspired by: http://www.valisesetgourmandises.com/vegan-chickpea-flour-chocolate-chip-cookies/#.WN_VyCMrJO0

Because some ingredients may be hard to find, links are provided to make buying easier. I may earn a small commission for some of the product links in this recipe. Your purchase will lend support to this website at no further cost to you. Big love and thanks for that

Making these cookies triggered a contemplative moment for me. Of course, people love baking cookies because they taste delicious. But, perhaps more critical, cookies blend up in no time and super easily. Ok, I know that’s no great revelation, but I’ve never truly got that before, like in my soul.

I’ve been baking cakes for my “becoming a better baker project” and they take a lot of time. Cakes also use large amounts of sugar, butter, eggs, and flour. When I took a break from the project and baked these cookies with none of the aforementioned ingredients and in literally under 30 minutes, I experienced an instant cookie love. I felt it in my soul, easy and delicious, not to mention frugal and sustainable, but that also relates to ingredient choices. (Click here if you would like to read more about my project.)

I’ve also decided cookies champion powdered herbs better than any other herb form like tea, syrup, extractions etc. Teas, syrups, honey seem to disrupt batter proportions creating liquid imbalances. Concentrated extractions are added in such small amounts, you may not even know they are there. There may be solutions, but I’m still working them out.

So, two discoveries in one cookie, I like that. Still in progress… uncovering ultimate ways to bake with alternative flours, sweeteners, and moistening ingredients.

Vegan Tulsi Chocolate Chip Cookies
Tulsi, also known as holy basil, is a definite member of the top ten herbs to love. These cookies are a great way to get to know it better. Its flavor is a blend of mellow clove, licorice and citrus with a slight hint of its sweet basil cousin. In India, tulsi’s original home, chickpea flour is a common ingredient in flatbreads. It seems natural to combine them together into a gluten free chocolate chip cookie.
Servings Prep Time
24cookies 25minutes
Cook Time
8-10minutes
Servings Prep Time
24cookies 25minutes
Cook Time
8-10minutes
Ingredients
  • 2/3cup (165g) garbanzo bean flour, chilledI used Bob's Red Mill
  • 1/4cup (50g) granulated organic sugar
  • 1teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4tsp salt
  • 1 tablespoon tulsi, powdered
  • 1/3cup coconut oil, melted
  • 1/3cup maple syrup
  • 2teaspoon lime juice
  • 2teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/3cup chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Place garbanzo bean flour in refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes. This will help the cookies to keep their shape while they are baking.
  2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Adjust oven racks so rack is in center of oven. Preheat to 350°F.
  3. In large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and tulsi powder.
  4. Place coconut oil in a medium sized mixing bowl and if hardened, microwave for a few seconds until turns to liquid. Add maple syrup, vanilla extract, and lime juice. Stir to combine.
  5. Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix well with wooden spoon. If batter seems to dry, add a bit more lime juice.
  6. Stir in chocolate chips.
  7. Using a tablespoon to measure batter, roll with hands into balls. Place on baking sheet and press down gently with fingers.
  8. Bake 8-10 minutes, checking after 8 minutes to make sure cookies are not overcooked. They should still be soft and will harden as they cool. Cool on wire racks.
Recipe Notes

** Using organic ingredients whenever possible will make your baked goods all the more nourishing. For these cookies, use organic sugar, flour, coconut oil, maple syrup and lime juice if available.

tulsi powder

]]> https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/recipe/vegan-tulsi-chocolate-chip-cookies/feed/ 0 Tulsi Chocolate Cranberry Bundt Cake https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/recipe/tulsi-chocolate-cranberry-bundt-cake/ https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/recipe/tulsi-chocolate-cranberry-bundt-cake/#respond Sun, 27 Dec 2015 19:11:12 +0000 https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/?post_type=recipe&p=1368
tulsi chocolate cranberry bundttulsi chocolate cranberry bundt
powdered holy basilpowdered holy basil
cranberriescranberries
bundt right out of ovenbundt right out of oven
slice with tulsislice with tulsi
cake with slicecake with slice

Authenticity.

I am nutritionist by profession, an aspiring herbalist, love the concept of cooking, and dream of being a baker. It makes me happy to have the Herbal Bake Shoppe as a platform to mix all of this together. The baker dream part means I don’t get it right most of the time, but will keep working on that. When I discussed with my herbalist mentor this venture, he suggested it was important to maintain processing the herbs in traditional ways, as teas or tinctures for examples, to get any effect at all. I understand his point and have been working on ways to incorporate herbal water, alcohol, or oil infusions into the recipes I create. This cake is not perfect, but it is timely and uses a widely available herbal tea. The texture is lovely, but the taste not as chocolaty as I imagined, also not as sweet or even enough cranberries. The tulsi flavor comes through making it more like a mild spice cake. I am going to make it again and attempt a better result, but I am posting to ask for your input. What do you think of a mild, not so sweet, touch of sour cranberry chocolate cake? Would you even make a cake using tulsi tea? Do you like the idea of using herbal preparations in baking or is that an extra step you would not take? And specific to this recipe, if you were to bake it, how much cocoa powder would you add; what measure of cranberries? Please leave a comment below and thank you so much for supporting my journey with your input!

Because some ingredients may be hard to find, links are provided to make buying easier. I may earn a small commission for some of the product links in this recipe. Your purchase will lend support to this website at no further cost to you. Big love and thanks for that.

Tulsi Chocolate Cranberry Bundt Cake
Tulsi, also known as holy basil, blends sweet and fragrant tones into this not so perfect cake. It could be more chocolaty or packed denser with cranberries, but it's lightness may be just the perfect complement to the sugar of the holidays. Post a comment below to tell me what you think!
Servings Prep Time
12-16slices 20minutes plus 2 hours for rise
Cook Time
40minutes
Servings Prep Time
12-16slices 20minutes plus 2 hours for rise
Cook Time
40minutes
Ingredients
For tulsi tea *
  • 3teaspoons tulsi, dried and powdered3 tea bags
  • 12oz hot water
For glaze
  • ¾cup organic powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1-2tbsp organic whole milk
  • 1tbsp organic unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1/2tsp chocolate extract
For bundt cake
  • 3 1/2 cups organic all-purpose flour
  • 6tbsp cocoa powder (Dagoba)
  • 3/4cup organic granulated sugar
  • 3/4cup organic coconut sugar
  • 1/2tsp salt
  • 2packages active dry yeast
  • 1 1/2cups organic unsalted butter, softened
  • 1cup hot tulsi tea
  • 4 eggs
  • 1cup organic fresh cranberries, cut in half
  • 1/3cup dried cranberries, chopped
  • 1tsp lemon zest, grated
Instructions
For tulsi tea
  1. Tulsi is also known as holy basil. Brew strong tea using 3 tea bags to 12 ounces of hot water or 3 teaspoons dried, powdered tulsi with 12 ounces of water. Steep for 20 minutes. Strain, reserving liquid and pour into small saucepan to keep warm over lowest heat setting
  2. Tea can be prepared up to 48 hours in advance, kept refrigerated and then gently warmed prior to adding to batter.
For Bundt cake
  1. In bowl of electric mixer, combine 1 cup flour, cocoa powder, sugars and salt. Stir well until thoroughly mixed through. Add yeast and stir. Cut butter into large chunks and add to flour mixture with hot tulsi tea. Beat on low for 2 minutes.
  2. Add eggs and additional 1 cup flour, beat this time on high for two minutes more.
  3. Cover mixing bowl with plastic wrap and then damp kitchen towel and allow to rise for 1 hour.
  4. Stir in fresh and dried cranberries, lemon zest, and additional 1½ cups flour. Mix with wooden spoon to create a smooth cake batter.
  5. Recover mixing bowl with plastic wrap and damp kitchen towel and let rise an additional hour.
  6. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray bundt pan with olive oil cooking spray to thoroughly coat. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes. Test with toothpick to assure it comes out clean.
  7. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes then remove from pan and cool completely
  8. Prepare glaze by combining all ingredients, stirring until smooth. Drizzle glaze over cooled cake.
Recipe Notes

Tulsi is also known as Holy Basil or Sacred Basil so may be sold under these names as well.

Using organic ingredients whenever possible will make your baked goods more wholesome and nutritious. For this cake, use organic flour, sugars, butter, eggs, and cranberries if available.

]]> https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/recipe/tulsi-chocolate-cranberry-bundt-cake/feed/ 0