Caramel date paste

Christmas is getting so close and I am super excited! I cannot wait to spend time with my family and celebrate christmas with lots of good food and gifts – I am pretty much like a 5 year old when it comes to christmas presents, haha I just can’t help it! I absolutely love both giving and receiving presents! :D

What I love even more about christmas is all the good food, I am such a foodie and there is nothing better than indulging in lots of treats and traditional danish christmas food! I love to mix in some of my healthier treats as well though and this super easy date paste is definitely a new favorite of mine. It taste just like a healthified version of delicious gooey caramel and you can pretty much use it for everything!

I absolutely love eating the date paste with apple slices that I dip in a mix of chopped almonds and dark chocolate, so simple, but so good! I also use it for raw desserts and pretty much everything else at the moment to add some extra YUM! I have been using it as a topping for my oatmeal and skyr all week along with some of my strawberry-rhubarb compote and it is sooo good – dessert for breakfast! Haha I always eat way too much during christmas, but oh well it just means a little extra padding to keep me warm during winter ;)

Ingredients:
1 cup (equals 2.5 deciliter) pitted dates, packed
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
A couple drops of natural caramel essence – optional
1-3 tablespoons coconut milk or water – only add if needed

Directions:

1. The dates I use are fresh and super soft and gooey, but if your dates aren’t soft you can still use them, simply put them in a jar, cover them with water and let them soak overnight. If you are in a hurry you can soak them in hot water for 10-15 minutes. If you do this, then you need to save some of the water and add it a tablespoon at a time to the food processor until your date paste has the desired consistency and is nice and smooth.
2. If you use fresh and soft dates, then simply add all the ingredients to your food processor and pulse until smooth – if needed add a little coconut milk or water until the desired texture is achieved

Note: Store the date paste in the fridge in an airtight jar, it should keep for about a week.