Chocolate Covered Dates With Nut Butter

These chocolate covered dates are rich in flavour and high in nutrients making them a wholesome little snack or dessert. Great for gifts too! They’re gluten-free, and depending on the chocolate you choose, they will also be dairy-free.

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What Makes This Recipe So Good?

Dates have been an important source of nutrition for millennia, and in particular within the countries of the Middle East. Here, people use them to sweeten and flavor meals; however, dates also have religious significance and traditionally break the fast in the evenings during the month of Ramadan.

Hundreds of varieties of dates are grown around the world, though Medjool dates are those most commonly found in the West. The health benefits of dates are many with thanks to the nutrients they contain including minerals like calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc. In addition, they also contain B vitamins as well as vitamins A and K, and they’re rich in fibre making them an excellent dietary inclusion.

Ingredients – What You’ll Need To Make This Recipe

The best thing about this chocolate dates recipe is that it only requires a handful of ingredients, most of which you probably have in your fridge and pantry. You can make this nut-free if needed by swapping out the peanut butter for a seed butter of your choice.

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• Dates – Go for the fresh dates usually found in the fruit and veg section at your local grocery store.
• Nut butter – This can be anything you like and even a mix of nut and seed butters. Things like crunchy peanut butter, creamy peanut butter, cashew butter, hazelnut butter, and sunflower seed butter are all delicious. Tahini is too, though more difficult to work with as it’s not as thick.
• Chocolate – My preference is rich dark chocolate, which balances the sweetness of the dates perfectly. If you prefer milk chocolate that will be delicious too. I would caution against white chocolate or caramel chocolate though, as they will make this far too sweet. Dates already have a deep caramel flavor so you want something that complements not intensifies that.
• Toppings of your choice – These are not necessary, but they do make the chocolate-covered dates extra cute.

If you do want to add some toppings try things like dried rose petals, a sprinkle of sea salt, orange zest, chopped sunflower seeds or chopped peanuts, shredded coconut, or crushed freeze-fried fruits (raspberry is nice!).

Which Dates To Use When Making This Recipe

Large Medjool dates offer the best results for this recipe because they’re so rich and creamy and provide a decent-sized snack. This is the most common type found in most supermarkets depending on where you’re located. Other varieties you might find include deglet noor dates or barhee dates, both of which are fine to use, though juicy Medjool dates have the stand out flavor.

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How To Make Chocolate Covered Dates

This delicious treat tastes just like a date snickers and is one of the simplest things to make. Once you’ve melted the chocolate it really takes no time at all to assemble them. Then it’s set and forget in the fridge.

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1. Line a large baking tray with a piece of parchment paper and set a wire rack over the top. Set aside.
2. Make a slit lengthways down each date and remove the seed. Don’t cut all the way through. You want the date to remain intact.
3. Spread a teaspoon of peanut butter (or more if you like) into the center of each date (or your choice of nut or seed butter). One all are complete, add the stuffed dates onto a large plate and put this in the freezer while you melt the chocolate and prep any toppings.
4. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over a very low heat, or in the microwave using a microwave-safe bowl if preferred. Remove from the heat once completely melted.
5. Remove the dates from the freezer and dip each into the melted chocolate using two forks. Set it on a wire rack to allow the excess chocolate to drip off. If using toppings quickly add them to the top of the dates before the chocolate sets (a sprinkle of flaky sea salt is divine!). Repeat until all the dates are covered in chocolate.
6. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up then enjoy!

This little sweet treat makes a cute Valentine’s day gift for the sweet tooth in your life. They can be whipped up in no time if you need something quick and easy too.

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Substitutions And Variations

The peanut butter can be replaced with any nut butter of your choosing. Hazelnut and almond butter are both delicious in this recipe. If you have a nut intolerance seeds butters also work well.

For something completely different try chopping up strawberries and stuffing them into the dates before they’re dipped in chocolate. Sweet. tart, and chocolatey all in one bite!

Hints And Tips For Success

Dip the dates into the chocolate with two forks to help any excess drain off. Sitting them on a wire rack can also help with this. It will give you a cleaner-looking finished product too with no chocolate spread on the bottom.

I buy Medjool dates with seeds in. I find those that have been de-seeded can be dry and a bit tough. This is a personal preference though, so if you like the seedless kind you can absolutely use them.

Use a good quality chocolate you like to eat as a treat. This is a better choice here than chocolate chips, as they can have a very fatty mouthfeel that’s not suited to this recipe.

Storing/Freezing/Make Ahead

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. These can’t be kept at room temperature or the chocolate will melt.

These will keep in the freezer for a couple of months, but they rarely last that long!

FAQ

Want More Sweet Ideas? Take A Look At These!

• Homemade Chocolate Bars
• 4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
• Homemade Chocolate Spread
• Chocolate Mousse

If you try this recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment, rate it, and remember to tag @wholenaturalkitchen in your pics or reels on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok!

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