Puddings:
Nonstick cooking spray
1 c. pitted dates, chopped
1 c. boiling water
3 T. butter, cold and diced
1 t. baking soda
1/4 t. kosher salt
1/3 c. demerara sugar*
1/3 c. dark brown sugar
2 eggs
3/4 t. vanilla extract
1/2 c. plus 2 T. flour
Sauce:
8 T. butter
2-1/4 c. heavy cream
9 T. dark brown sugar
1/4 t. kosher salt
For serving: candied nuts, ice cream, and/or whipped cream
*Can use turbinado sugar, light brown sugar, or granulated sugar. If using granulated sugar, add 1 t. molasses.
Place chopped dates in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Allow dates to soften (about 10 minutes).
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin tins with nonstick spray.
Combine butter, baking soda, salt, demerara sugar, brown sugar, eggs, flour, and vanilla in a food processor. Pulse until just combined.
Add softened dates and 1/2 c. of the soaking water to the flour mixture. Using the food processor, pulse until well combined but not completely liquified.
Pour batter into greased muffin tins and bake for about 6 minutes; rotate and bake for another 6 minutes.
(Remove from muffin tins ONLY after cooked fully; see below.)
To make sauce, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add brown sugar and gently simmer for 3 minutes. Add salt and remove from heat. Slowly add cream while whisking.
Once cream is emulsified, return to stove and heat gently to serving temperature.
To serve, pour 3/4 of sauce over cakes and bake for roughly 2 minutes (the sauce will absorb into the pudding. Once puddings and sauce are hot, place into serving bowl and spoon remaining sauce over the tops of the puddings.
Serve with candied nuts and/or ice cream and/or whipped cream.
Adapted from New Hampshire magazine, Sept. 2021, p. 84.
