Chocolate Covered Stuffed Dates
Warning: these are highly addictive.
I was diagnosed with EoE January of 2020, so I began to follow my restrictive diet right before the pandemic. It was frustrating when all I wanted was something to satisfy my raging sweet tooth and there was nothing “Jules friendly” my mom could find on the stripped supermarket shelves. I did my research and found a chocolate company that was allergen friendly and I got so excited I didn’t read. Within two weeks, I had a 10-pound bulk box of unsweetened chocolate at my doorstep.
Thankfully, quarantine gave me time to experiment with recipes with this dark and bitter chocolate. I found so many people were making these warm dates on social media with chocolate, nut butter, and dates, but there were two problems:
I hated dates
I am allergic to nut butters
But, I got dates from the store and I used some of the pumpkin seed butter I ordered and made my own version.
When I say my life was changed, my life was changed.
I have never craved anything until I had one of these. It has chewiness from the date, smoothness from the seed butter, and richness from the chocolate. The added salt and cinnamon elevate these to fancy candy status (if that’s a category).
I make a big batch to last me about a month at a time. I get a small pan with waxed or parchment paper and set up an assembly line. As you remove the pits from the dates, line them up on the pan. Next, add the nut or seed butter of your choice. You don’t want to overfill them because it can get messy trying to cover them in chocolate, but you also don’t want to skimp. I’d say a teaspoon or two per date- depending on the size- is a good benchmark. Heavily sprinkle the cinnamon. Every component has a loud personality, to encourage the cinnamon to speak up. Throw these in the freezer to firm before coating. Not only does this ensure that the butter doesn’t run out, but it also makes the chocolate shell firm fast around the stuffed date. Quickly sprinkle with salt because the shell may harden. If it does, you can always drizzle leftover chocolate with a fork to make the salt stick.
Where should I store my Chocolate Covered Stuffed Dates?
If you like to keep your candy bars in the freezer, I suggest you keep your chocolate covered stuffed dates in the freezer. If you like cold chocolate, but don’t like how hard they stay in the freezer, refrigerate them. Personally, I am not a fan of chilled chocolate and I prefer my dates soft and chewy. Therefore, I keep them on my counter at room temperature. Wherever you decide to store these, make sure they are in an airtight container.
1. Line a small sheet pan or dish with wax or parchment paper and set aside.
2. Gently slice into the date to remove the pit. DO NOT cut all the way through. Place dates on the prepared sheet pan.
3. Using a measuring spoon or butter knife, fill each date with about 1 teaspoon of nut or seed butter. Sprinkle filled dates with cinnamon. Place the pan in the freezer for the dates to firm (about 10 minutes).
4. While the dates freeze, in a microwave safe bowl or over a double boiler, melt chocolate, coconut oil, and maple syrup until smooth and shiny.
5. Using two forks, dip the stuffed dates into the melted chocolate to coat. Return chocolate covered stuffed dates to the pan and immediately sprinkle with sea salt. Place the pan back into the freezer for 5 minutes for the chocolate to set.
6. Transfer dates into an airtight container and keep in the freezer, refrigerator, or on the countertop.
+ If using semi-sweet, milk, or any other chocolate that is sweetened, melt 1 cup chocolate of choice with 1 tsp coconut oil.
