Homemade Date Paste

Hello! 👋 Today's recipe is a special one for your little ones ❤️

First of all, DO NOT give your baby sugar if they are under 12 months. If you want to learn more about why your baby shouldn't be having sugar till they are one year old, check out on my blog.

I know a lot mommies out there look for the best sugar substitute and TRUST ME when I say this, date paste is THE BEST SUBSTITUTE for sugar. 💯

Dates are naturally very, very sweet and that's why they can be added to any dessert for your baby. Zoha still uses date paste as a sweetener and she even loves having dates as it is.

Yes I know you can buy readymade date paste at the store; but isn't it better to feed our babies something we make? At least we now what went in the food our baby is consuming - so please make this recipe once and I promise you'll find it awesome!

Now, to save time (and effort because I'm naturally lazy 😆 I don't peel the dates at step 4 - however, you can definitely choose to do that. I find that once I blend the dates thoroughly, the skin is barely noticeable.

Anyways....

Without further ado, let's dive into the recipe! 👩🏻‍🍳

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 cup dates (any kind that you like; I have always used these dates mostly).

- 1 cup water

METHOD:

STEP 1:

Get a pot that is usually used for tea, coffee, or dessert (using any other kind might add unnecessary food flavor to the date paste).

STEP 2:

Pour in one cup of water in the pot, cover with a lid, and let it come to a roaring boil.

STEP 3:

Once the water is fully boiled, turn off the heat, and place the dates inside the pot. Cover the pot and let the dates soak in the water for 10-15 minutes. Once the soaking is done DO NOT throw the water; we will use it for blending.

STEP 4:

After 15 minutes, starting removing pits (seeds) from the dates and put all the dates in a blender jug. (Optional: You can remove the skins if you want for a smoother paste, I always left them on).

STEP 5:

Add half of the water (from the pot) to the blender and blend till the dates are all well-blended and become paste form.

STEP 6:

Transfer the ready date paste to a clean and dry container. Refrigerate and make sure to use it up within a 2 weeks.

HOW CAN I USE THE DATE PASTE?

OPTION 1:

You can use the date paste in any dessert recipe for your baby.

Recipe 1: You can use it in my cheeko pancake recipe if you don't have sweet potatoes. Sometimes I actually make plain barley pancakes for Zoha, spread the date paste on them, and serve to her; she loves it each time.

Recipe 2: You can sweeten the sooji (semolina) with the date paste; that is Zoha's favorite too!

Recipe 3: You can turn my desi French toast recipe into a sweet one instead by adding the date paste to the batter or spreading it on the French toast!

OPTION 2:

You can use the date paste as a spread for bread and buns and serve to your baby.

OPTION 3:

The date paste is a great substitute for sugar in all recipes for your babies.

OPTION 4:

You can use the date paste as a dip for your baby.

OPTION 5:

The date paste can also be used in yoghurt and served to your baby with a spoon - this is Zoha's favorite way to enjoy both!