I Can't Believe It's Not Caramel

In my quest for healthier alternative sweet treats, I wondered what I could spoon over my frozen yoghurt at the weekend.

I love caramel sauce, but as we all know, this contains a lot of cream, butter and sugar. As I’m trying to be good, I thought I would try and knock up a more virtuous version to slather over my dessert.

I cast my mind back to a recipe I did a couple of years ago for raw coconut fudge. This was a ‘fudge’ made from dates, coconut and vanilla extract. It tastes just like toffee.

I wondered if using similar ingredients in different proportions would taste as good?

I popped dates, coconut oil, vanilla extract and water in my Optimum 9400 from Froothie – such a cracking blender – and whizzed it up until it was smooth.

This took no time at all and when I took the lid off, it smelt amazingly divine!

I did sieve the sauce as I wanted it to be as smooth as I could possibly get it. I tried a little spoonful and decided that a teaspoon of something would be needed just to give it that extra sweet shot. Instead of going for granulated sugar, I opted for a teaspoon of maple sugar which I had in the cupboard. You could use a teaspoon of maple syrup instead or even honey or agave nectar.

I transferred the sauce to a small bowl and popped it in the fridge. As it chilled it thickened slightly and took on the texture and consistency of caramel.

I spooned mine over my frozen yoghurt and it tasted so indulgent!

Okay, this is not caramel sauce, but I think as a healthy alternative this sauce is delicious. The addition of the vanilla extract really changes this from blended dates to something more dessert like.

Why not try adding some salt for a take on salted caramel sauce as well?

Here’s how I made it…

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Healthy Alternative Caramel Style Sauce

by S Vettese June-6-2016

Blended dates, coconut oil and vanilla make this surprisingly healthy alternative to caramel sauce.

Ingredients

• 200 grams pitted dates
• 150-200 ml water
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon maple sugar (or syrup)

Instructions

In a blender place the dates, 150 ml of water, the coconut oil and vanilla extract. Blitz until smooth and add some more water if it looks too thick.Strain the contents of the blender through a sieve and add some maple sugar or syrup to taste.Transfer to a small bowl or jar and refrigerate for a couple of hours to let it thicken slightly.Enjoy spooned over a bowl of frozen yoghurt, or straight from the bowl with a spoon!

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: Total time: 10 mins Yield: 1 small bowl

Disclosure Statement: I received the Optimum 9400 free to review and make recipes with.  Any opinions expressed are my own.