I like to keep a little date paste in my fridge for use as a natural sweetener.

I’m frequently experimenting with recipes and find it useful to have some dates already blended, which essentially is what date paste is.

No need to use processed sugar anymore!

Dates may be natural, but they are super high in fructose, so if you’re trying to go fructose-free I would avoid them and use stevia, dextrose, rice malt syrup or some other natural sweetener instead.  (I do not recommend agave syrup since it is a highly processed sap that is almost all fructose. It is one of the more seriously mis-marketed foods in the ‘natural food universe’).

I avoided dates for a long time, but have slowly started to introduce them to my food, with zero negative effects!

My feelings are, a little bit every now and then won’t hurt, and I like that they are a natural, whole food.

While they are high in fructose sugar, they have a low glycaemic index figure and so don’t send your blood sugar soaring.  They also have quite an impressive list of essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that are required for normal growth, development and overall well-being.

HERE’S an interesting little video on dates!

Some people add equal or almost equal parts water to the dates when making paste or ‘honey’, as some call it, but I like to just add a splash – enough to allow them to move in the blender, otherwise you’re just diluting the flavour.

Also, DOUBLE CHECK that all your DATES ACTUALLY ARE PITTED!

You don’t want to test the warranty of your blender!

With regards to the soaking of dates, I have made batches in the past where I haven’t soaked them, usually adding a little more water yields me a better consistency.

However, I think it’s best to soak them for just a few minutes in warm – hot water, that should be enough to soften them up so they blend smoothly.

I also think rinsing them is a good idea.  Perhaps because I like cleaning stuff, perhaps because they remind me of cockroaches … who knows?!

I just use as many dates as I think I’ll use in 2-3 weeks, as that’s about how long my paste lasts for!  So I’m not giving exact measurements for you to use – go by your nose!

But don’t forget!  You’ll need enough to make the blender’s blades whizz!

My Very Precise Date Paste Recipe :

Ingredients:

3 – 4  handfuls of pitted, possibly organic dates, rinsed, then soaked.

1 teaspoon vanilla powder (or to taste / this is optional!)

A sprinkle of cinnamon (or to taste / this is optional!)

Approx 1-2 tablespoons of water – enough to get the blades moving but not so much you dilute the flavour!

Barely A Pinch of celtic sea salt.

Method:

After you’ve rinsed and soaked the dates, drain them and transfer to your blender.

Add the salt, and spices if using them.

Switch it on and blend until you get a smooth consistency, scraping down the edges if you need to, in order for it to come together nicely.

Transfer the paste to a container ( I like glass jars!), seal and refrigerate until you need it!

Mine lasts for weeks, probably 2 – 3 weeks is a good guideline (just check for bad odour/mould if you’re concerned, but mine lasts for weeks!)

 

Possible Uses:

In cake bases, smoothies, cake fillings, curries, jams, chutneys, caramel sauce …. basically anything you need to sweeten!