Erik made me caramel apples for Halloween! These take almost no time to make and they are (surprisingly) very good. I didn’t expect the date paste to have such a good flavor and to stick to the apples so well. I wrapped my extra caramel apples in saran wrap and the date paste barely transferred. Definitely making these as treats again soon! 

Recipe from dreenaburton.com

Ingredients

Servings: 4-6 apples, depending on size

• 1½ cups pitted dates, lightly packed
• ½ cup unsweetened plant-based milk (I used almond)
• 3½ – 4 tbs. raw cashew butter (can be replaced with almond, but cashew is best!)
  • to make this just blend cashews for awhile until it turns into butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• small pinch of sea salt
• couple pinches of nutmeg
• 4-6 apples (or more depending on their size)
• popsicle sticks, spoons, skewers, or whatever you want to use as a sturdy handle for the apple (I broke skewer sticks in half and used those)
• Optional toppings: crushed peanuts, shredded coconut, grated chocolate, almond meal, or other topping of choice

Directions

1. Soak Dates Soak the dates in the milk for about an hour

2. Make the Caramel Drain the dates, gently pushing excess milk out of them through a sieve. In a food processor or blender combine the dates, cashew butter, vanilla, sea salt, and nutmeg. Process until very smooth — this could take several minutes, you may need to scrape the sides periodically.

If you aren’t making the caramel apples immediately, transfer the date-caramel to a container and stick it in the fridge until you’re ready.

3. Prep Apples Insert the popsicle sticks (or whatever you’re using) in the apples. Prepare an area for the apples (pan, counter, etc.) with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

4. Apply Caramel Lift the apples and use a butter knife or spatula to coat the apples in the caramel. The date-caramel is pretty sweet, so don’t make it too thick. Place on the parchment paper

If you are adding toppings, roll them in your topping of choice at this point.

5. Serve! Eat immediately or put it in the fridge.

For what it’s worth, I left mine out on the counter for a couple days (as I was forcing myself not to eat more than one per day!) and it didn’t seem to make a difference. But to be safe it’s probably better to put it in the fridge…

Leftover caramel can be used as a spread for toast, dip for fruit, and so forth. It has a sweet flavor and it’s fairly thick.