Homemade Date Sugar

I have not been able to buy this in our area, let alone price it – this worked out very cheap to make. I got the directions from here http://butterbeliever.com/how-to-make-your-own-date-sugar, she used medjool dates but I used packaged dried dates purchased on special at $1.60 for 400 g. One packet gives you one large preserving jar full.

I dried the dates for 4 hours on 125 deg f, turning often. These were very soft and sticky and I didn’t think it was working so turned off the oven and left them overnight to find rock hard dates this morning.

The person in the link above cooked them quicker on a higher temperature but I didn’t want to risk burning (I tend to forget things in the oven!)

The dates were then ground in the coffee grinder, they can be done in the food processor but I didn’t think my old one would handle them. The sugar produced is sticky and clumpy – I am thinking when brown sugar goes hard a way to soften it back is to put in a piece of apple and I am going to try this just out of interest to see if it makes any difference to the texture of it (added a week later, this did NOT work, but putting in a microwave or basin of warm water before use does.  It will still be fine for baking etc, very nice on porridge, similar to brown sugar, I am really pleased with it.