Raw Caramel Sauce

Thick gooey rich caramel sauce……one of my older recipes that’s just as appealing to me today as the day I first made it. How many recipes can you say that about? The time-tested dishes just keep on chugging up loads of enjoyment, don’t they? This favorite is simply so easy to make and beyond drool-worthy. Just a few ingredients to blend and your taste buds can start celebrating natural,healthy, and real caramel sauce. I say “real” because this sauce doesn’t contain any artificial flavorings or ingredients and is actually mega-nourishing. By the way you don’t have to cook it either. Yes.

This fresh sauce is literally melt-in-your mouth sweetness that delivers an abundance of nutrients and offers a whole lot of versatility. Serve with fruit (sublime with green sour apples or as a coating for caramel apples), as a spread, in smoothies, over ice cream, in savory dishes, over cooked cereal, in desserts, as a glaze, I could go on but I won’t. By the way you can just eat it right out of the blender jar too.

To add extra richness to my sauce I included gold fax seed oil. Gold flax seeds are the sister to brown flax seeds. They’re very similar (in fact virtually identical) in their nutritional profiles, but the flavor and appearance is where they part ways. Gold flax seeds are more golden in color and have a mild buttery/nutty flavor. They produce a fragrant and flavorful oil which I love using in recipes for extra depth and color and where a hint of buttery flavor would work. To me it tastes similar to browned butter. Adding the gold flax seed oil is purely optional. You can just as easily substitute with incredible coconut oil, or omit the oil altogether and use the basic recipe for a scrumptious low-fat sauce.

From their humble beginnings, Medjool dates were destined to become one of the most sought after fruits of all time. A few tidbits about this incredible fruit:

• Medjool dates are known as the world’s oldest fruit, dating back to the Sumerian civilization before 3000 B.C. where they were grown on the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
• Medjool dates are considered the most highly-prized of the hundreds of date varieties grown throughout the world because of their size, extraordinary sweetness, and succulent texture.
• Medjool dates are the only variety of date that can be picked and eaten fresh.
• Medjool dates are considered low-glycemic fruits meaning they are diabetic and hypoglycemic-friendly although amounts should be monitored.
• Medjool dates are richer in potassium than in any other mineral. In fact, they contain more potassium than banana, orange, or spinach.
• Medjool dates are a natural laxative and help alleviate intestinal disorders. They are are high in a particularly beneficial soluble fiber known as beta-D-glucanfiber which absorbs and holds water, giving it the ability to add bulk and softness to stools – a quality predominantly associated with insoluble fiber.
• Medjool dates are certified Heart Healthy by the American Heart Association.

With all these good reasons to include dates in your life, there’s simply no excuse not to indulge. This sauce is very flexible and can be easily customized with various flavors and spices; anything your big healthy heart desires. Gooey, super sweet, and absolutely delicious, it’s caramel sauce on tap in our home.

This recipe is dairy/nut/gluten-free. It yields about 1 cup and can easily be doubled or tripled.

Raw Caramel Sauce

• If using dates that are on the tougher side simply soak them in water until soft and drain before using, reserving half a cup of the liquid in case you need extra liquid during blending. The soaking water can also be used in place of the water.
• You can substitute Medjool dates with other varieties keeping in mind the texture, volume, and sweetness.

• 16 very soft Medjool dates, pits and stems removed
• 2 – 3 Tbsp coconut/palm sugar to taste (optional)
• 2 vanilla beans or 1 tsp vanilla
• 2/3 – 1 cup water
• 2 Tbsp gold flax seed oil (optional but highly recommended for buttery flavor)
• extra water or soaking water from dates as needed

Optional Add-Ins:

• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• pinch of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, cardamom or any other desired spices.

1. Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender.
2. Start blending on the lowest speed slowly building up speed until the mixture is completely smooth. If it’s too thick, add just enough more liquid to keep blending until smooth and thick.
3. Serve immediately or store refrigerated up to a week. Sauce will thicken a little when stored.
4. Yields about 1 cup.
5. Can be stored refrigerated up to 5 days.

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