Ingredients
210g pitted dates
1 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon bi-carbonate of soda
140g brown sugar
60g butter, melted
2 eggs
140g self raising flour
Caramel Sauce
100g brown sugar
250g thickened cream
100g butter
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2-3 level teaspoons arrowroot (Tapioca flour) – to thicken sauce
Method
Muffins: Pre-heat oven to 180ºC. Spray a 12 cup muffin pan with cooking spray.
Chop pitted dates into small pieces. Place in a bowl with bi-carb soda, and pour over boiling water. Allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir in sugar and melted butter. Add beaten eggs and stir to combine, then stir in self raising flour. Continue stirring until there are no flour-lumps. Pour mixture into the muffin tins, distributing dates evenly amongst the tins. Bake at 180ºC for 20 minutes. Turn mini-puddings out onto a bread board.
Caramel Sauce: Combine brown sugar, thickened cream, butter and vanilla essence in a saucepan. Stir over medium heat until butter has melted and sugar has dissolved. Continue to stir over heat, until sauce almost reaches boiling point. Mix arrowroot with a little water in a cup until smooth, and then pour into sauce. Continue whisking until sauce thickens.
Place mini-puddings on individual serving plates and drizzle with Caramel Sauce. Serves 4-6.