Making your own chocolate dates is a blast! Takes just minutes and is a fabulous treat, snack, or gift. A favorite with everyone and customization options are endless. Can easily be created vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free!
It seems that it must be date season! I'm seeing them everywhere - and my kids just love them, so we eat them all the time and just keep coming up with new ideas as to what to put inside of them!
With valentines just around the corner, these are healthy treats that you can eat and share, and even give a little cheer with a pun or two.
"Would you like a date?"
These dates are also a fantastic treat to put on a vegan charcuterie board or serve with appetizers at a holiday party (yes! sweet appetizers are a thing!)
What you'll need to make chocolate stuffed dates:
Medjool dates - generally found in the fresh section of your grocery store, this specific variety of dates is rich, soft, and chewy, with an almost caramel flavor. Avoid the smaller and firmer 'regular dates' or Deglet Noor variety for these fancy treats.
Your choice of stuffing and toppings:
- chocolate chips
- vegan cream cheese
- peanut, cashew, or almond butter
- sunflower butter
- tahini
- pecan halves, walnuts, peanuts or almonds
- white chocolate
- shredded coconut
- fruit jelly
How to make chocolate dates:
First remove the hard piece from the blossom end of the date (If there is one! Sometimes there is, and sometimes not.) (Photo #1).
Next, slice the date vertically from top to bottom with a small knife, pressing about halfway through the date.
Squeeze the date gently at the top and bottom at the same time to pop the date open a bit. Remove the pit (Photo #2).
Now, place about a teaspoon of filling inside the date - nut butter, sunflower seed butter, vegan cream cheese mixed with a bit of sugar, or press a couple of pecan halves or other nuts inside (Photo #3).
Melt the chocolate and coconut oil together in a microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until melted (or melt in a double-boiler over stovetop). Dip your filled dates in the chocolate (I usually dip halfway) or just drizzle it on, topping with shredded coconut if desired (Photo #4)!
Expert Tips:
If you're working with melted chocolate of any kind, I suggest placing dates on a wax paper or silicone mat covered tray and placing the whole lot in the refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes until the chocolate hardens up.
Natural peanut butter is great in these, however it can be a bit runny at times. Either chill your peanut butter before filling the dates or chill the dates after filling before dipping in chocolate to avoid a peanut butter drippy mess. Or just enjoy the drips! It all tastes great!
No need to melt the chocolate if you need a super quick treat! Just press the chocolate chips into the nut or seed butter filling, add a sprinkle of shredded coconut and you're good to go!
Dipping the dates:
Generally I like to dip about half my date in the chocolate, keeping the calories and sugar lower while the satisfaction level is still high! But if you're wanting to dip the whole date, just double the chocolate amount used in the recipe below and enjoy the decadence!
More vegan treat ideas:
- Dark chocolate popcorn balls
- Spicy seasoned pretzels
- Best vegan chex mix
- Vegan jerky
- Vegan coconut balls
- Easy vegan caramel sauce
- Vegan blueberry crisp
- Vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookies
- Vegan chocolate peanut butter pie
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Easy Chocolate Dates
Ingredients
- 8 medjool dates
- 8 tsp peanut butter, or other nut or seed butter
- ¼ cup chocolate chips, vegan if desired
- ½ tsp coconut oil, for melting
- 2 tbsp shredded coconut
Instructions
- First remove the hard piece from the blossom end of the date (If there is one! Sometimes there is, and sometimes not).
- Next, slice the date vertically from top to bottom with a small knife, pressing about halfway through the date.
- Squeeze the date gently at the top and bottom at the same time to pop the date open a bit. Remove the pit.
- Now, place about a teaspoon of nut butter, sunflower seed butter, vegan cream cheese mixed with a bit of sugar, or press a couple of pecan halves or other nuts inside.
- Melt the chocolate and coconut oil together in a microwave in 30 second increments stirring in between, until melted (or melt in a double-boiler over stovetop). Dip your filled dates in the chocolate (I usually dip halfway) or just drizzle it on, topping with shredded coconut if desired!
Notes
Dipping the dates:
Generally I like to dip about half my date in the chocolate, keeping the calories and sugar lower while the satisfaction level is still high! But if you're wanting to dip the whole date, just double the chocolate amount used in the recipe below and enjoy the decadence!Other stuffing and topping ideas:
- chocolate chips
- vegan cream cheese
- peanut, cashew, or almond butter
- sunflower butter
- tahini
- pecan halves, walnuts, peanuts or almonds
- white chocolate
- shredded coconut
- fruit jelly
Nutrition
Great ideas for medjool dates. I stuff my medjools with a pecan all the time. It's like eating pecan pie.
Another idea I hadn't thought of might be coffee beans, putting 2 or 3 or 4 beans in a date. Maybe 2 beans and 2 Guittard 63% chocolate chips. Possibly a good replacement for chocolate covered espresso beans from Trader Joe's etc. I'm going to play around with this tomorrow because it's too late in the evening for me to eat caffeine. Great inspiration for using dates. Thanks.