Are you a fan of candy? I go for more savoury foods compared to sweet stuff, but once in a while I have a hankering for candy, especially chewy ones. I was browsing for Asian recipes one day and chanced across a Japanese candy called Yatsuhashi, a sweet confectionary from Kyoto. I loved the description of it and was inspired to make an Autoimmune Protocol (AIP)-friendly candy without refined sugars.
This recipe produces a candy that has a slight chewy bite to it, kind of like a denser mochi. It’s not as sticky-chewy as a Tootsie roll or ginger chew and won’t get stuck in your teeth! It’s a fun little recipe to make and really easy to create using a handheld immersion blender plus a microwave oven, with AIP staple ingredients in the kitchen. If you love the texture of doughy mochi and are a fan of cinnamon/ ginger, I think you will enjoy this too!
- 140g/ 8 medjool dates, pitted
- 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1.5 tsp ground ginger
- 115g/ 0.5 cup very hot water
- 4 tbsp gelatin powder
- 5 tbsp tapioca flour/ arrowroot starch, divided
- In a 2-cup glass measuring cup, combine pitted dates, spices and water
- Allow the dates to soften in the water for 5 minutes
- Blend until a smooth paste forms with a handheld immersion blender
- Stir in the gelatin powder
- Stir in 3 tbsp of tapioca flour/ arrowroot starch
- Microwave on 'high' power for 3 - 4 minutes, stirring to mix evenly at 1 minute intervals until the mixture looks pasty and putty-like
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the mixture over the parchment paper with a spatula to form a ¼ inch thick square
- Refrigerate until it has set and is thoroughly chilled, about 30 minutes - 1 hour
- Remove from the refrigerator and slice into squares or whatever shapes you prefer
- Toss the pieces of candy in the remaining 2 tbsp tapioca flour/ arrowroot starch to coat evenly, if desired
Can be kept refrigerated for a longer period of time but the texture of the candy will be denser
