Recipe for not-so-naughty Sticky Toffee Puds!

Here's something novel, a dessert that's actually not too bad for you! And it's secret?...easy, take out the fatty bits. In other words: butter! And in it's place- date puree. It may not sound as tempting but these little puds still taste delicious and come with a lot less guilt! But watch out, they're still quite high in sugar and so should be seen as a treat within a balanced diet (especially if trying to lose weight). Ok thats the prep talk out of the way; time to don your apron, grab that whisk and bake baby bake... enjoy!

What you'll need:
87g pitted dates (fresh or dried)
75ml maple syrup
42g self-raising flour
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
1 large egg, seperated
Food processer or hand blender

based on 2 puddings, takes 1 1/2 hours- simply double up on ingredients if you want to bake 4!

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees c(fan assisted 160)/gas mark 4. Simmer the dates in 90ml water for 5 mins. Tip the remaing into a food processer (or use a hand blender), add 3 tablespoons of maple syrup along with the vanilla extract, and blend until smooth Transfer into a bowl and mix in the egg yolk then the flour.
2. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff and slowly fold in the date mixture as above. Spoon one tbsp of maple syrup into both of the pud moulds then add the mixture dividing equally. Cover each mould with foil (nice and tight) and place them in an ovenproof dish. Finally (nearly there!)...pour hot water up to half way up the side of the moulds and wa-la, into the oven it goes. Cook for an hour and/or until you can place a skewer through each pud and it comes out clean.
3. Once you're happy with your puds, take off the foil and run a knife around each one to loosen form the mould. Now place a plate over each mould, quickly flip over and there you have it. Drizzle a little maple syrup over to finish and you could add a very small amount of low-fat ice-cream as an optional extra treat!

Per serving (without ice-cream)- 339 calories, protein 7g, carbohydrates 73g, fat 4g, saturated fat 1g, fibre 2g, added sugar 25g, salt 0.33g.