Chocolate Fudge Sauce - an 'Almost' Guilt-free Version



OMG! This is perhaps the best thing that has come out of my kitchen! And I don't believe I waited this long to make it after Jordan shared it on Shared Meal almost 2 years back. 

A rich, decadent Chocolate Sauce that has just 3 ingredients and absolutely zero refined sugar. Of course, it does contain naturally occurring sugar and associated carbs. But the goodness and health benefits of the nutrient dense Dates, kind of compensates for it. Or so I would love to think!





Dates, Milk, Bitter-sweet chocolate and a little labor of love and you have the best, satiny smooth, rich and the healthiest of chocolate sauce, you would take pride in feeding your family.


Dates are an amazingly nutrient rich fruit. I like to call them Nature's candy. Sweet and wonderfully delicious, Dates are packed with an impressive list of essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that are required for normal growth, development and overall well-being. The benefits of Dates includes relief from constipation, intestinal disorders, heart problems, anemia, sexual dysfunction, diarrhea, and abdominal cancer, to name a few.

I have already discussed the benefits of Dark Chocolate. Together with Dates, they not only make this Chocolate Sauce delicious, but pretty nutritious too.





I have used regular 1% Milk (Double Toned Milk), that I had on hand. To make it Vegan Friendly, substitute Almond, Cashew, Coconut or Soy Milk. Personally I love Cashew and Coconut Milk and cannot wait to whip a fresh batch with those alternatives.

Once the sauce has reached the desired consistency, I strained it through a mesh strainer. Dates have a thin membrane, that even after overnight soaking, does not puree too well. Straining it makes the sauce satiny smooth and oh-so-luxurious. This is an optional step, but well worth the effort.




OMG! I cannot even type, without drooling all over the keypad. Just imagine the things that you can do with this Sauce.

          Dip your favorite fruit like apples slices, banana slices, berries in the sauce - Sweet!

          Serve warm over vanilla ice cream - no brainer!

          Drizzle over pancakes, waffles, french toast - Yes! Yes!! and Yes!!!

          Mix it with steamed milk - Best Hot Chocolate Ever!
       
          Fold it into Whipped Cream/Topping and chill - Easiest and yummiest Chocolate Mousse!

          Thicken it slightly and chill - Hello... Chocolate Pudding!

          Add a spoonful to your latte or frappe - Mocha Latte or Frappe

and the list can go on.....

You seriously need this amazing Chocolate Fudge Sauce in your life. Seriously!

Recipe Snapshot: Chocolate Fudge Sauce - an 'Almost' Guilt-free Version
Adapted from here
Makes: 1 cup


What I used:
Medjool Dates - about 1/2 cup, pitted and roughly chopped (I used 10 largish dates)

Bittersweet Baking Chocolate - 1 oz, chopped

Milk - 1/2 cup + 1/2 cup
(use almond/cashew/coconut/soy milk for a vegan version)


What I did:
1. Warm half cup milk for 2 minute in the microwave and soak the pitted and roughly chopped dates for 1 to 2 hours. You can also soak it overnight. In that case no need to warm the milk and keep the soaked date in the fridge.

2. Puree the date and milk mixture till smooth.

3. Pour the mixture along with the chopped chocolate in a saucepan and over gentle heat bring it to a simmer. Keep cooking till the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture thickened. About 4 to 5 minutes on very low heat.

4. Add the rest of the milk and give it a good mix and heat for another minute or so till you get the perfect consistency. Remember the sauce will thicken as cools so keep it a little runny. Or you can thicken it a little bit if you want a pudding texture when it's cold.

5. Strain the sauce and transfer to a clean and dry glass jar. Straining is optional, but it does gives a satiny smooth finish to the sauce.

6. Serve it warm over ice cream. Or cold over pancakes, waffles, french toast or anything your heart desires. Mix it in steamed milk for the best ever hot chocolate. Or simply eat it with a spoon.

Diabetic Platter:
Wonderfully delicious, dates are one of the most popular fruits packed with an impressive list of essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that are required for normal growth, development and overall well-being.

The fruit is rich in dietary fiber, which prevents LDL cholesterol absorption in the gut. Additionally, the fiber works as a bulk laxative. It, thus, helps to protect the colon mucous membrane from cancer-causing chemicals binding to it in the colon.

They contain health benefiting flavonoid polyphenolic antioxidants known as tannins. Tannins are known to possess anti-infective, anti-inflammatory and anti-hemorrhagic properties.

Dates are an excellent source of iron, potassium, calcium, manganese, copper, and magnesium.

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