Dates Caramel Slice

Dates are  delicious, and they have a caramel flavour when used in baking. If you are one of us who decided to exclude refined sugars from your diet and you still have traces of a sweet tooth, you should consider Dates, such a versatile sweetener. This fruit is very sweet but at the same time it is considered to be a functional food.

According to Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition (Volume 52, Issue 3, 2012)  ‘it is apparent that the date fruits are highly nutritious and may have several potential health benefits’. Dates are a rich source of energy, fiber, vitamins and minerals. Compared to other dried fruits such as apricots and figs, dates are a good source of compounds with antioxidant activity.

The same Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition published a research where ’10 minerals have been reported in dates, with the most prominent being selenium, copper, potassium and magnesium, providing more than 15 percent of the recommended intake of these minerals in 100 grams of dates, which is roughly 4 dates. As dates have a high potassium and low sodium content, they are a healthy choice for those with hypertension.’

This recipe is an updated version from the post published in March 2016! If I don’t cook my own recipe for long, I know I need to change it. And that Date Dessert recipe was just that. When I saw Mesquite powder in The Source shop, it came to me immediately! I am very happy with this version now.

Dates Caramel Slice

Ingredients:

Base:

1 cup (80 g) desiccated coconut
1/4 cup (50 g) coconut oil
1/4 cup (20 g) cacao powder
1/5 cup (72 g) maple syrup (or molasses)

Caramel:

1.5 cup (225 g) cashews, raw and unsalted
1/2 cup water
1.5 cup (225 g) pitted dates
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract

Topping:

1 tbsp Mesquite Powder

*rectangular quiche form. (25cmx10cm or 10″x4″)

Cooking:

1. Soak raw unsalted cashews in cold water for a few hours.
2. Boil dates in half a cup of water on low flame covered until the water is completely absorbed.
3. Drain the soaked cashews and process them on high speed along with the dates and vanilla to a consistent mixture.
4. Warm up coconut oil and syrup in microwave. Mix desiccated coconut and cacao, then mix all the base ingredients gently and not for long. Press the mass into the bottom of the form. Put into a fridge to set.
5. Transfer the caramel mix over the base and distribute evenly. Sprinkle Mesquite over the ‘caramel’ evenly. Keep in the fridge until serving time. Cut into 5 large slices or 10 squares.

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