Caramel Date Night

What is it?

Caramel without dairy is a real technical problem, since ordinary caramel is sugar cooked with butter and cream. This pop gets there with dates instead, at 1.3%, alongside brown sugar and roast almond at 2%. Dates are a sensible substitute. They bring a dark, slightly treacly sweetness and enough body to read as caramel rather than as plain sugar syrup, which is why they turn up so often in dairy-free versions. The brown sugar fills in the molasses note behind them. Coconut oil provides the fat, with tapioca and corn starch as stabilisers and pea protein for structure. The almond works as both flavour and base, which is unusual: most plant based pops pick one milk and stay with it rather than using the nut twice.