Step 1

Place a saucepan over low-medium heat and add in butter, brown sugar, heavy cream and vanilla. Stir frequently until simmering, and then simmer for a further 5 minutes until slightly thickened. Transfer to a heatproof bowl or container and set aside.

Step 2

Preheat oven to 180 °C (350°F) conventional (see note 1 if using a convection oven) and grease two standard 12-hole muffin trays (see note 2 if you only have one tray). Set aside.

Step 3

In a food processor or blender, add in dates, baking soda and boiling water (do not blend yet). Stir with a spoon so that all the dates are covered in water and allow to sit for 10 minutes.

Step 4

In the meantime, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Using a whisk, mix until well combined. Set aside.

Step 5

Return to the dates and blend until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl, making sure to scrape as much of it out as you can.

Step 6

To the date mixture, add in brown sugar, melted butter, eggs and vanilla. Using a whisk, mix until well combined.

Step 7

Add in presifted dry ingredients from earlier and using a spatula, gently fold until just combined and the batter is uniform. It's fine if the batter is a little lumpy, as long as there are no large pockets of unmixed flour. Take care not to overmix.

Step 8

Distribute batter into muffin trays so that they're ¾ full. You should have about 16 puddings. Drop the muffin trays lightly on the counter once to remove any large air bubbles and then bake one tray at a time in the middle rack of the oven for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs on it.

Step 9

Allow puddings to cool in the tray for about 15 minutes, before running a thin knife along the edges of the puddings to release them from the tray and turning them out onto a wire rack. Serve warm with a generous amount of the butterscotch sauce on top. Add a side of whipped cream or ice cream to add a special touch!