Date Caramel With Black Garlic
Date Caramel With Black Garlic
This delicious whole foods based caramel dip uses dates instead of refined sugar, and for a subtle depth of flavor, we also included just a little of our sultry black garlic. The result is a sweet dip that’s perfect for apples, berries, pretzels or plain crackers. It has a decadent, silky texture and is full of minerals from both the dates and the black garlic.
Don’t’ worry, black garlic isn't ordinary, pungent garlic. Black garlic has been cooked — caramelized even — low and slow for several days. This process turns regular garlic into black garlic and what results is black, sticky, a little umami, and sweet like molasses.
Date Caramel With Black Garlic
This sweet dip is perfect for dipping apples, berries, pretzels or crackers into for a decadent, silky treat that's full of minerals and refined sugar free. The black garlic adds a subtle depth of flavor that pairs deliciously with dates!
Ingredients
- 12 large dates, pitted and soaked (see notes)
- 4-6 cloves black garlic, peeled
- big pinch of sea salt (use Black Garlic Salt if you have it)
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla powder or extract
- 1/2 to 1 cup half & half, heavy cream, or full-fat coconut milk - or more as needed to achieve desired consistency
Instructions
- Once dates have been pitted, soaked, and drained (see notes), add them to a high-speed blender such as a Vitamix or Blendtec.
- Add remaining ingredients, starting with 1/2 cup of cream and blend on high in short bursts, stirring and scraping down the sides in between.
- While scraping down the sides of the blender and stirring the mixture, add the remaining 1/2 cup of cream one splash at a time and blend in each time to thoroughly incorporate.
- Keep blending in short bursts, scrapping down the sides and stirring the caramel until it completely comes together and is silky and smooth. Depending on the firmness of the dates used, this could take a little while (but it's worth the effort!).
- For a thinner dip, continue to add more cream a splash at a time until it reaches the desired consistency.
Notes
Soaking dates: this step cannot be skipped to achieve a silky smooth texture. Place pitted dates in a small bowl and cover with hot water. Let sit for 10-20 minutes to thoroughly soften. Drain soaked dates and proceed with recipe.
