Gluten and Dairy Free Date Pudding with Coconut Vanilla Syrup

Brrrrr. Its cold outside. In fact it is so chilly and awful outside today that the best activity is most definitely lying around drinking cups of tea and reading the papers. 

This is no easy thing for me to do. I do stuff. I visit people. I go for coffees. I clean the bathroom and vacuum incessantly. I go to the gym and run in forests. I don't just do nothing. It makes me feel uncomfortable. 

So weather like this is a challenge for me. But as the day wears on and the adrenalin from my coffees subsides I realize that a rest day was just what the doctor ordered. I feel relaxed and content. 

It made me realise the patterns that so many of us get into. We often rush to work all week, rush back to pick up kids and get dinners ready, all alongside keeping the house spic and span.Then when the weekend rolls around and we have time to relax most of us rush around even more visiting, cleaning, and entertaining the kids, its just more of the same. So I like to think of this as stop and smell the flowers weather. 

Anyway, to round off a lazy day,  I thought this is just the kind of weather to sit down to an early dinner and pudding and be in bed by eight. What a nana. And what better pudding than a date pudding. 

A dairy and gluten free date pudding. When I say pudding I mean I cooked these in a muffin tin so they look like upside down muffins and I guess they kind of are, but they taste gorgeous. 

Whats in it? 

Puddings

• 1.5 cups of dates
• 2/3 cup of boiling hot water
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 eggs
• 8 tablespoons of coconut oil
• 1 tablespoons of vanilla essence
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup buckwheat flour 

Sauce

• 3 tbsp brown rice syrup
• 1/2 can of coconut cream
• 3 tablespoons of coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract 

How do you make it? 

Put the dates in a pot with the water and bring to the boil until it is a lumpy paste. 

Pre heat oven to 180C. Grease a baking dish or individual pans with coconut oil

Blend dates and all other ingredients in the food processor except flour and baking powder.

Add the flour and baking powder and pulse in the processor until just mixed.

Pour into baking dish or smaller dishes. I baked my small puddings for 17 minutes and they were perfect but it may need baking for longer if its in a larger dish.  

Sauce

Put the coconut oil, coconut cream and rice syrup into a pan. Simmer for about 5 minutes while whisking together. Leave for 15 minutes to thicken. 

Arrange the pudding on a plate and top with syrup when ready to serve. It would be lovely with some coconut yoghurt or icecream :)