Mini sticky date puddings

I am very firmly in the pudding camp - if there is one... It's the kind of camp I most definitely want to be a part of, because deep in the depths of winter, when the afternoons are dark and the wind is howling outside, puddings are there - like a warm, joyous beacon of hope.

These mini sticky date puddings are ridiculously sticky and dark, sweetened with brown sugar, molasses and dates, and served with a silky salted caramel sauce (and ice cream too, if you really want to push the boat out, and why wouldn't you?!).

And the best thing - they only take 18 minutes to bake - so you can have them happily baking away in the oven while you eat your dinner, then they're ready to devour when you're done. Bliss!