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
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 but 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!