Soak the dates in hot water for at least 15 minutes. Drain but don’t throw away the water. Use if to sweeten tea, smoothies, oatmeal, etc.

In a high-power blender, blend the milk and the dates on high speed for about 1 minute, I use the 30 second function twice.

Pour in a small pot, place on the stove on medium heat and whisk in the cacao powder and the rum, if using. For an even more chocolaty taste, add another half teaspoon of cacao powder.

Bring to a low boil while whisking, lower the heat and let simmer until the sauce thickens, a little over 5 minutes. Seeing how liquid it was at first, I panicked a little and almost added arrow root powder (a natural thickener), but my patience paid off and I ended up with a very thick sauce.