Date Sugar

This recipe makes enough to fill four 6 cups trays half full

Directions:

1. Add 2 cups of water to a blender and drop in 15 pitted dates.  Blend well into a puree; dates are tough to break down.
2. Line your tray with parchment.  Spread the date puree out onto your tray.  
3. Repeat step 1 until your trays are filled half way.  Do not fill more than half way. 
4. Add dividers set to 40 portions. 
5. Freeze until frozen solid (this will save a lot of time in your machine).
6. Change the initial freeze setting on your freeze dryer to -20℉, set the dry temp to 135℉, save and hit Start. Let your machine cool before putting the frozen date puree in. Run a regular Freeze Drying Cycle, not a Candy Cycle. 
7. Freeze dry (this cycle time was 40 hours without a pre-freeze).
8. Pull out the date puree, remove dividers, and put in the freezer for the time being.
9. Defrost your machine. 
10. Freeze dry the dates again, using the same settings from step 6. 
11. Let sit a few minutes once removed from the machine before you powder them in the blender.. 
12. Store in jars for short-term use or in mylar bags for long-term storage.

Rehydration:

Not intended for rehydration. Use it to sweeten drinks such as coffee or tea.  Also, date sugar is a natural replacement option for traditional white sugar.

Notes:

After the second dry cycle they initially feel soft like they’re not dry.  But when they cool you can tell they are fully dried. 

Store with desiccants instead of oxygen absorbers.  High sugar items turn hard with oxygen absorbers.

Nutritional Value Per 2 Tbsp 

Calories: 159   Protein: 1 g   Fat: 0 g   Carbohydrates: 42 g   Sugar: 35 g   Fiber: 4 g

Cycle times & rehydration for reference only. Your results may vary.