Instead of sprinkling your homemade cookies with colored sugar, try using basil sugar for a pop of fresh, herbal flavor. It is the rare person who does not have a pot of basil growing on their back porch or kitchen window. If, however, you are that rare person, you can still enjoy the many uses of this summer herb. When you purchase sprigs of basil at the grocery store, unwrap them immediately once you get home. Trim the ends and submerge the stems in a glass or mason jar filled with water. Remove any leaves that fall below the water line. Place the glass in a sunny not hot location and change the water daily. Before making this bright basil sugar, blanch the basil by placing the leaves in boiling water for 10 seconds, then plunging them in an ice bath (simply a bowl of icy water) until they are cooled. Thoroughly, but gently, dry the leaves. In a food processor, pulse sugar, basil leaves and lemon zest about 30 seconds. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks and use on baked goods or stirred into cocktails and hot tea.
