Like a sticky-sweet caramel apple.
In liquid form.
Caramel Apples
This recipe reminds me of those gorgeous caramel apples on display at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. Until I got my braces, I looked forward to caramel apples every autumn. (After the braces went on, I was probably more upset about not being allowed caramel than gum.)
Ever since I made the (No Sugar!) Cookie Dough Dip, I’d been curious to experiment more with blending dates as a substitute for sugar. I’ve heard people say they think dates have a caramel-like taste, and therefore I figured an apple recipe would be the perfect place to start.
This caramel-apple milkshake manages to capture all the deliciousness of a crisp, juicy apple, dripping with thick caramel sauce.
Caramel Apple Milkshake
(sugar and gluten-free)
- scant 1/2 cup applesauce
- 1/4 cup pitted dates (such as Sunmaid)
- scant 1/16 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup milk of choice
- 3 tbsp nondairy creamer (I used Silk. You can substitute milk of choice, for a caramel-apple smoothie as opposed to the richer taste of a shake. Or you can sub full-fat canned coconut milk.)
In a little dish, pour a little water over the dates and let them sit for at least two hours. Then blend all other ingredients with the dates and 1 tbsp of the water. (Drain the rest of the water before blending.) Alternatively, you can blend the dates a little before adding the other ingredients. The shake will get thicker as it sits.
Generously topped with Healthy Whipped Cream.
The cream melts into the shake, making it even more rich and delicious. I also drizzled on some brown rice syrup, more for presentation than anything else!
Question of the Day:
Did you ever have braces?
Initially, I was really excited to get my braces on. I even worried I might not need them, because my teeth were always pretty straight. But once the novelty of having braces wore off, I wished I hadn’t needed them. Every orthodontist appointment, I hoped to hear that the darn things were coming off soon!
Yummy link of the day: Healthy Milkshake Recipes.
Five years, Katie. Five flipping years and in the last 10, my teeth started moving. I wished I had never stopped wearing my retainer!!!
Oh wow, this looks so good! I could really do with a milkshake 🙂
I never had braces, I’m pretty lucky with my straight teeth!
I sure did have braces and hated them! I had to get a new retainer made recently. The ortho was kind enough to give me the invisalign tray as a retainer instead of the old metal wire one. It’s great cause I can use the tray to whiten my teeth – bonus! But yeah, braces were not fun.
What a excellent idea for fall! It sounds and looks fantastic 🙂
Um yea, this sounds great!! Ive tried to make apple smoothies in the past using whole apples- but they have ended up to “grainy”. Good idea to use apple sauce instead!
I’m going to have to make my own version on this! Mmmmm! …..Never had braces, I got porcelain veneers for my 21st birthday from my parent though. BEST.PRESENT.EVER!
I am new to your site and I LOVE it! I’m just curious, when you say you use a non dairy milk, what do you use? Thanks!! Can’t wait to dig in!
Hi BriAnne! 🙂
Unless a recipe specifically calls for canned coconut milk, you can probably use ANY milk you wish. I use Silk unsweetened almondmilk or Blue Diamond almond milk for almost all the recipes, but I think any would work.
Ohh this looks delicious and so perfect for Fall!! And yes, I had braces in middle school! I hated having them and was so so excited to get them off!
I’ve never tried the whole date thing as sweetener. I’m going to have to give it a shot since this looks absolutely delicious! 🙂 Oh braces- ugh. I had them TWICE. I begged my parents to get them for me when I was young and then had to have them on again in highschool. Then I begged my parents to let me get them off early. It felt like I had them my entire middle and high school years. ha!
Wow, this looks awesome! Too bad if I want applesauce here, I have to make my own. And apples are way expensive =<
Note about your comment you said you left: I checked and I didn't see any comments in my spam box on my blagh. I dunno if it auto-deleted or what, but I'm not sure why it would be identifying your comments as spam in the first place =/ Weird.
To the braces question: Yep, I had 'em. My upper canines were stuck way up high for a long time so they used the braces to kinda pull them down. And I had to get peridontal reduction. Meaning they took off some of the excess gum tissue I had for some reason, around my front teeth. Now I have a pretty good smile, but there's still a gap that won't stay closed, hehe. It's just part of my smile at this point.