Salted Caramel
I have been craving salted caramel for weeks now and most who know me know I am a ride-or-die for chocolate kind of soul. I’m not sure why there’s this sudden urge for all things caramel but I am leaning into it with my whole self because life is short.
I am one who usually gives the side-eye to date-based desserts, having had too many raw foods sweets in the 1990s that were a little too, um, date-forward, if you will. I used to say that raw desserts are always the same three-to-five ingredients in different ratios – dates, nuts, fruit, cacao, coconut – and not fooling anyone. Like if you moosh and press that down into a pan and it’s suddenly “brownies”, and you separate it out and the result is “bars” but it all tastes the same, maybe it’s time to expand our horizons a bit?
Given that skepticism, what I will allow is that medjool dates are actually the perfect basis for caramel. They’re rich, thick, a little honeyed, and a good color to come together as caramel. Taking softened dates and whipping them up with a seed or nut butter, vanilla and a little salt is really all it takes for your caramel dreams to come true without butter, milk or additional sugar.
It seems odd, I will admit that, but tahini was the perfect seed for this – additionally, it’s fine for people with nut allergies – and that makes sense because it is used often in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean desserts. Another option is cashew butter, which is decadent and buttery. The family favorite, though, is the sesame seed one.
This is a simple recipe but the trick is all in processing. I highly recommend a food processor for making the smoothest salted caramel. Blenders, even the high-speed ones, just are the wrong shape for making it smoothest. If you have a blender and that’s it, the recipe will work but you’ll need patience and a bit more water to blend properly.
½ cup medjool dates, seeded, soaked for ten minutes in hot water and drained
¼ cup sesame seed paste (tahini)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Water as necessary
1 - 2 tablespoons agave nectar or pure maple syrup, option
Add the pitted dates to your food processor and process until it begins to meld together, about a minute. Add the sesame seed paste, seed or nut butter of choice, vanilla and a pinch of salt. Process together, pausing as needed to scrape the interior of your food processor out as you go. Add small amounts of water as necessary to create a thick, smooth paste. It will likely vary for all of us but I needed about a tablespoon of water, added a teaspoon at a time. Whirl together until smooth. Taste and add extra salt if needed. Last, if you want to level up (it’s not necessary, though!) add a tablespoon or two of agave (ideal) or maple syrup and process again until smooth. It will take at least a few minutes.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and it will last at least a couple of weeks.
I have been craving salted caramel for weeks now and most who know me know I am a ride-or-die for chocolate kind of soul. I’m not sure why there’s this sudden urge for all things caramel but I am leaning into it with my whole self because life is short.
I am one who usually gives the side-eye to date-based desserts, having had too many raw foods sweets in the 1990s that were a little too, um, date-forward, if you will. I used to say that raw desserts are always the same three-to-five ingredients in different ratios – dates, nuts, fruit, cacao, coconut – and not fooling anyone. Like if you moosh and press that down into a pan and it’s suddenly “brownies”, and you separate it out and the result is “bars” but it all tastes the same, maybe it’s time to expand our horizons a bit?
Given that skepticism, what I will allow is that medjool dates are actually the perfect basis for caramel. They’re rich, thick, a little honeyed, and a good color to come together as caramel. Taking softened dates and whipping them up with a seed or nut butter, vanilla and a little salt is really all it takes for your caramel dreams to come true without butter, milk or additional sugar.
It seems odd, I will admit that, but tahini was the perfect seed for this – additionally, it’s fine for people with nut allergies – and that makes sense because it is used often in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean desserts. Another option is cashew butter, which is decadent and buttery. The family favorite, though, is the sesame seed one.
This is a simple recipe but the trick is all in processing. I highly recommend a food processor for making the smoothest salted caramel. Blenders, even the high-speed ones, just are the wrong shape for making it smoothest. If you have a blender and that’s it, the recipe will work but you’ll need patience and a bit more water to blend properly.
½ cup medjool dates, seeded, soaked for ten minutes in hot water and drained
¼ cup sesame seed paste (tahini)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Water as necessary
1 - 2 tablespoons agave nectar or pure maple syrup, option
Add the pitted dates to your food processor and process until it begins to meld together, about a minute. Add the sesame seed paste, seed or nut butter of choice, vanilla and a pinch of salt. Process together, pausing as needed to scrape the interior of your food processor out as you go. Add small amounts of water as necessary to create a thick, smooth paste. It will likely vary for all of us but I needed about a tablespoon of water, added a teaspoon at a time. Whirl together until smooth. Taste and add extra salt if needed. Last, if you want to level up (it’s not necessary, though!) add a tablespoon or two of agave (ideal) or maple syrup and process again until smooth. It will take at least a few minutes.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and it will last at least a couple of weeks.
Vegan, Recipe, Caramel, Sauce, Seasoning, Dessert, Sweet, Dates, Vanilla, Tahini, Agave, Maple Syrup