Date Sugar
Is it a new recipe or a title of a hip-hop/R&B song? It's hard to tell, I know.
I apologize for the cheesy 'date' jokes. I just can't help it.
A while ago I watched one of Dr. Michael Greger about sweeteners and which kind is the healthiest. I was surprised by many of the "healthy" sweeteners that turned out to be not so different than refined white sugar!
Watch the video here if you're interested.
What makes date sugar the healthiest sweetener out there is that it's the least processed. That means it contains fiber. Date sugar is still considered a whole food because all we're doing to it is drying the dates and processing them whole until they turn into a sugar form.
You can use date sugar in baking, just sub 1 cup of white sugar for 1 cup of date sugar. I love to add it to my oatmeal or homemade cereal. Just know that date sugar doesn't dissolve so don't use it in drinks.
It's sticky, sweet, and has a slight caramel flavor.
Homemade Date Sugar
Ingredients:
- +20 sukkari dates or Medjool will do fine
*If you're going to use a large food processor then I suggest that you use more dates so the dates don't just get stuck at the bottom.
Method:
- Heat the oven to 200F or 95C
- Remove the pits from the dates
- Place on a non-stick surface
- Let them dry in the oven for 2-3 hours
- Turn off the oven and let the dates stay there overnight
- Process in a food processor or a Vitamix
- For a finer sugar process in a coffee grinder
*To make this recipe raw use a dehydrator and set the temperature to 110F.