Let's Make It A Date!

In my last post I promised the recipe for my date paste or puree which is an excellent substitute for sugar in baked goods. It is likewise good on a slice of bread and butter instead of jam. Maybe it can be used to sandwich cookies together or use it as filling for donuts Once you taste it other options will surely come to mind!

This post will be a bit lengthy, so let me start with the main ingredient, namely dates. The second ingredient is water and nothing else. Other items required are a bowl or two, a saucepan, cooking spoon, paring knife, a nylon sieve ( metal gives the puree a not so nice taste and also affects the colour ), jam jars or preserving jars and a wide-mouth funnel.

Raw dates 

I buy my dates locally from the market and usually they are really dry and hard, so they can't really be properly enjoyed until they get some TLC treatment.

Dates soaking in warm water

Put the dates in a bowl and cover with very warm water, not hot! Allow to soak for 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on how hard they were to start with.

All seeds removed

Use the paring knife to cut the dates open lengthwise to remove the seeds. If dates are still too hard allow them to soak some more.


Place deseeded dates in your saucepan and cover with water. Cover with lid and bring to boil. When boiling, reduce heat to low and remove lid. Allow water to evaporate until you have just 3 or 4 spoonfuls of liquid left which should be a rich brown colour and look rather syrupy. The dates should be very soft now. If not add extra boiling water and again allow liquid to reduce.

Remove from heat and drain off the syrup and set aside. Allow dates to cool a little, then place in  a food processor and process until smooth, adding a little of the reserved liquid to soften the paste. 

Processing the dates

Now is tasting time. If you are satisfied with the texture you can fill the paste into the sterilized jars and seal, using a funnel for convenience. But I find that the skins of the dates don't quite disintegrate, so I add another step to get it really smooth like a proper puree. Turn the lot into a sieve and use a wooden cooking spoon to press through.

Pressing paste through sieve

That way you get a super smooth puree! Fill your jars  just up to the neck and seal with the lid. The puree will keep like this in the fridge for 4 - 6 weeks. To keep for longer storage use a simple preserving method. Choose a pot with a well fitting lid, large enough to hold your jars with at least 3 cm head  space and wide enough so the jars will not touch each other. Place a folded dishtowel on the bottom of the pot, fill with water and bring to boil. Using tongs, place the jars in the pot and bring water back to boil. Water should cover the jars completely. Reduce heat to medium and boil for 10 minutes. Place folded dishcloths on a work surface and carefully add your jars. Let them cool completely before labelling and storing. 

Please, let me know your verdict after you make it.