Date paste is a great natural sweetener so it’s perfect if you’re trying to cut down on refined sugar. It has a really sweet, rich, caramely flavour and can be used as a replacement for sugar in recipes (although bear in mind that it will bring a slightly different texture, flavour, sweetness and colour to the dish than sugar would). Or you could add it to porridge / oatmeal, swirl it through yoghurt... or just eat it with a spoon! Dates are also rich in iron and calcium, contain vitamin C and D, and are high in fibre so they’re great at keeping you (and your little ones) regular💩. Most importantly though, date paste is super simple to make as it contains just two basic ingredients and only takes a few minutes to make! The basic ingredients are... - dates, de-stoned - boiling water You could also add some extra flavour such as vanilla or cinnamon. A pinch of salt is also meant to bring out the flavour even more. To make, simply... - soak the dates in boiling water for 10 minutes - place the dates, together with a tablespoon or two of the soaking water, in a blender or food processor - blitz for a few minutes until smooth, adding more of the soaking water if required Use straight away, refrigerate or freeze. Quantities will vary depending on the size and juiciness of your dates. When I made it three large medjool dates created about 1/4 of a cup of date paste. Enjoy x
