Sweet, moist Medjool dates pair with dairy-free dark chocolate and ground walnuts in this easy quick bread that everyone will love; feel free to add in chopped nuts and other dried fruits of your choice for variation.
Makes one 9"x5" loaf
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 1/3 cup boiling water
- 16 ounces whole Medjool Dates, pitted and halved
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 3 T. brandy
- 1 t. vanilla
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 t. baking soda
- 1/2 t. salt
- 1/4 t. cinnamon
- 1/4 t. nutmeg
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) dairy-free soy margarine
- 1/4 cup finely ground walnuts
- 3/4 cup baked dark brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup dark dairy-free chocolate chips
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease or oil a 9" x 5" loaf pan, and set aside.
2. Combine the boiling water and Medjool dates in a bowl just large enough to fit, and let soak for about 10 minutes. Place the soaked dates in a blender or food processor and process with the brandy, 2 T. cocoa powder and vanilla until creamy.
3. While the dates are soaking, in a medium-sized mixing bowl, sift together the flour, reserved cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.
4. In another mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer, beat together the soy margarine, ground walnuts and dark brown sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, until combined. Add the date mixture, beating until well blended. Add the dry ingredients and chocolate chips, stirring until juts combined, and pour into the prepared loaf pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Serve warm, at room temperature or cold.
