Decadent tender chocolate covered dates stuffed with peanut butter or almonds are so easy to make and perfect as quick dessert. These are vegan, gluten free, made with 3-4 ingredients and take less than 15 minutes of time.
The soft, creamy texture of sweet dates accompanied by dark chocolate and crunchy nuts makes every bite so satisfying while satisfying sweet cravings in wholesome way. These stuffed dates are fun to make and a great no-bake dessert option where you can even involve kids.
There are n number of ways in which dates (also known as ‘khajoor’ or ‘khajur’) can be stuffed and decorated using different types of nuts, dried berries, candied fruits, melted chocolate or edible gold dust. This also make them also ideal for edible gifting for holiday season, special occasions or for festivals like Diwali, Christmas, Thanksgiving.
My inspiration for these chocolate stuffed dates comes from my recent trip to Sharjah (UAE). I always enjoy exploring the markets or grocery stores of the places I visit as it gives some insight in understanding the regional cuisine and food preferences of local people.
In Sharjah, the supermarket had so many varieties of dates along with different condiments made using them, like syrup, chutney or sauces. There my attention was drawn to these delicious looking chocolate dates stuffed with whole almonds, with each piece intricately wrapped and arranged in a box.
The combination was indeed very tasty and I instantly decided to try making them after returning home. These chocolate covered stuffed dates are:
- Vegetarian
- Gluten free
- Can be made vegan
- Easy & quick to make
Chocolate Dates Ingredients:
Dates: Use soft type of dates for making this recipe. It will be best if you could find mejdool variety which are naturally sweet but other varieties will always work fine. Do not use dry dates as they need to be rehydrated in warm water before using.
Chocolate: You can dip dates in melted milk chocolate, dark chocolate or white chocolate as per your liking. Personally I like to use dark chocolate here as mejdool dates are already sufficiently sweet. To make this dessert vegan (dairy free), use vegan chocolate.
Almonds / Peanut Butter: The dates can be stuffed with whole almonds, peanut butter or both. The version with peanut butter tastes almost like snickers bar. I love using crunchy peanut butter for additional texture.
Instead of almonds you can also use roasted hazelnuts or pistachios (peeled). Similarly, instead of peanut butter you can use other nut butters like almond butter, pistachio butter or use crunchy peanut butter for crunchy texture etc.
For decorating: This is an optional step but it makes these chocolate dates even more appealing. After dipping dates into chocolate, you can sprinkle different toppings like- chopped almonds, crushed pistachios, dried cranberries, candied orange peels, coarse sea salt or drizzle contrasting colour of melted chocolate(like white chocolate on dark and vice versa).
Hope you would try & like this simple yet delicious chocolate dates recipe. More easy ‘no white sugar’ dessert recipes :
- Dates & Nuts Balls
- Apricot Bliss Balls
- Chocolate Granola Bars
- Whole Wheat Jaggery Cake
- Dates & Walnuts Cake (eggless)
Ingredients:
- Medjool Dates- 18 to 20 pieces
- Milk or Dark Chocolate- 100 grams (3.4 oz)
- Peanut Butter (creamy / crunchy)- 1/3 cup
- Whole Almonds- 8 to 10 (as required)
- White Chocolate or Chopped Nuts- For garnishing
(Note: You can use any nut butter or nuts of your choice like hazelnuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios.)
How to make chocolate covered dates:
Step 1:
Make a slit on one side of date (without cutting it all the way) using a sharp knife. Carefully open it and remove the pit. Repeat this for all the dates.
Step 2:
Stuff each date with a whole almond or 1 tsp peanut butter (creamy / crunchy) or apply little bit peanut butter with one almond. Gently press the cut edges of dates back to close them (if excess peanut butter trickles out, scrape it with knife). Keep these stuffed dates in fridge for 10-15 minutes to let the peanut butter set a little.
Step 3:
Roughly chop the chocolate and transfer into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds at 80% power. If some chunks are still left unmelted, microwave for 20-30 seconds more till the chocolate is melted completely. Mix with a spoon or fork.
(You can even melt chocolate on stovetop using double boiled method shown in this fudge recipe)
Step 4:
Dip a stuffed date into melted chocolate and pick with help of fork. Tap the fork gently on the side of bowl to drip excess chocolate. Place it on a tray or plate lined with parchment paper. Repeat the process for remaining dates.
Step 5:
Sprinkle crushed nuts, dried berries or drizzle melted white chocolate on these dates. Chill them in fridge for 20-30 minutes to set completely. Enjoy yummy chocolate dates.
Tips:
1. Garnishing ideas: As I have discussed above in post also, the dates can be topped up in innumerable ways. For example, you can dip them in white chocolate and decorate with crushed pistcahios and dried cranberries for perfect Christmasy look or dip them in dark chocolate and sprinkle chopped candied orange peels or flaky sea salt on them. The variations are endless.
2. How to store these chocolate dates? Store them in airtight conatiner in fridge. These dates remain good in fridge for 7 to 10 days.
3. Taste one of the almonds from the batch you are about to use as sometimes they get bitter or go rancid if stored for long time. If the peanut butter you are using is slightly thin in consistency, then keep it in fridge for sometime to solidify. This makes it easy to stuff.
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(12 votes, average: 4.92 out of 5)
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