Today we’re talking about the thing that will literally steal your heart after making it- DATE PASTE!
You might of heard about sweetening things with dates (like in these epic Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies or Naturally-Sweetened Homemade DIY Dark Chocolate), or you might have even seen date syrup at the grocery store. But you might not have realized how easy it is to make this beautiful whole food sweetener at home.
The thing that makes date syrup and date paste so special is that it literally is just dates. No additives, no refined sugar, no binders or thickening agents- just pure whole dates, converted to a paste or syrup.
So what’s the difference between date syrup and date paste? Date syrup is made by boiling and pureeing chopped dates, and then straining out the pulp. Date paste, which we are making today, is a little bit less labor intensive to make- you basically just blend dates with water.
Now, there’s definitely a time and place for the syrup (I even use it in a lot of recipes)- there’s nothing quite like a thin stream of delicious date syrup when you’re serving pancakes or overnight oats. But for baked goods, I find myself making this paste over and over again. It’s quick, easy, and kind of fool-proof.
And, it can be used in almost anything to replace refined sugar. I’ve used it in muffins, banana bread, cookies, and even swirled into banana nice cream. Just make sure you use it within a few days of making it. Since it’s made with water, it usually won’t keep longer than a week.
Date Paste
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 2 cups medjool dates, pitted
- 1/2 cup filtered water
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to blender.
- Blend until completely combined.
If you want to skip the whole making-it-at-home process, I get it! You can also grab date syrup and call it a day too (I always like to keep a bottle on hand in the fridge for emergencies).
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