No visit to the Southern California desert is complete without a rich and creamy date shake from a roadside date shop. This at-home version is naturally sweetened with our medjool dates, giving it a sun-ripened, caramel-like sweetness. In place of ice cream, we thicken this (miraculously dairy-free!) shake with toasty almond butter, nut milk and ice. The result is a guilt-less dessert that’s packed with fiber and antioxidants. Dates are also believed to have brain-boosting properties, so we won’t blame you if you blend this recipe up for breakfast, too!
Makes 2 servings
1 cup almond milk
3 pitted medjool dates
½ cup creamy almond butter
1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch sea salt
2 cups ice cubes (about 10 large ice cubes)
Cocoa nibs, for garnish
In a blender, pulse the almond milk with the dates until smooth. Add the almond butter, cocoa powder, vanilla, salt and ice. Blend on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 30 seconds more. Pour into two tall 14-ounce glasses and sprinkle with cocoa nibs. Serve right away.
Recipe and photo: Julia Heffelfinger
