In my previous post I admitted my long term love for ice-cream … but I didn’t mention caramel … ahh … my second love!
Put the two together and you have got me! But I am also aware that traditional “caramel” recipes should be a rare treat.
So I have been on the lookout for a “caramel” that is more “body friendly”, and this recipe is a combination of a few that I have seen lately, plus my own tweaks which gave me the result I wanted.
I incorporated this caramel into the Creamy Traditional Ice-Cream on the precious post, and it is truly amazing!
So make the date caramel at the same time as you make the ice-cream, so that the caramel is nice and cold when added to the finished ice-cream later. Just keep it in the fridge until you need it.
Date Caramel Ice-Cream (the healthy version!)
Prep time
Total time
Author: Gina @ The Passionate Pantry
Serves: 4 cups
Ingredients
- 200-220g medjool dates, pitted, and at room temperature
- ½ tsp bi-carb soda
- 40g maple syrup
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes (or to taste)
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1 x Creamy Traditional Ice-Cream to mix the caramel into
Instructions
- Boil the kettle, then allow it to sit for 5 minutes whilst you get the other ingredients ready
- Pit the medjool dates and put into a glass container
- Add the bi-carb soda
- Pour over enough hot water (which has been off the boil for 5 minutes) to cover the dates
- Let it sit for 15 minutes, then drain BUT keep the drained water
- Put the dates, maple syrup, sea salt flakes and vanilla bean paste into TM bowl and mix 10 seconds / speed 5
- Lift lid and stir … repeat this process 4 or 5 times until you get a consistency that you are happy with, adding up to 3 tablespoons of the reserved liquid if you feel it is too thick (I used 3 tablespoons the first time, and only 2 the second time so this can vary … you want the mix to be thick like a caramel, but not so thick that it is hard to spread)
- Taste the caramel and adjust salt if necessary
- Take your ice cream out of the freezer to soften for 10 to 15 minutes, before layering the caramel in the ice cream (I used ⅓ ice cream, topped with ½ caramel, then ⅓ ice cream, then ½ caramel, and then final ⅓ ice cream)
- Use a knife to swirl the caramel through the ice cream
- Return ice cream to freezer and let set for a minimum of 4 hours (I always like to leave it overnight)
- Then hold yourself back and show restraint as you serve yourself a single scoop!
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