Chocolate dates are something I always have in my freezer! They’re a healthy and delicious treat and perfect if you have a sweet tooth after dinner like me!
You only need 4 ingredients to make them and they are also vegan and gluten free too!
I love making a batch of these as part of meal prep so they’re ready when you feel like a quick healthy dessert.
Being Persian, I have grown up eating dates since childhood. We would usually eat them plain or simply with a nut inside, especially with tea. Filling with nuts and covered in melted chocolate takes them to a whole new level!
Here I've shared a few different variations of chocolate covered stuffed dates. I’ve included peanut butter dates, hazelnut dates and almond dates.
I can't decide which one I like more hehe
If you are allergic to nuts or prefer a nut free alternative, you can also use seeds instead too 🙂
Jump to:
Ingredients to make Chocolate Dates
- Medjool dates are the star of this recipe and my preferred dates to use. They are rich in sweetness and have a caramel like taste. More information on Medjool dates are in the FAQs below
- Nut butter is added inside the dates. It's always best to use a natural nut butter that doesn't have any ingredient besides the nut itself, and maybe sea salt. You can either make it yourself or buy it. Here I’ve used hazelnut butter, almond butter and peanut butter. To make this recipe nut free, use a seed butter or even tahini instead
- Nuts, a whole nut is added inside the date as a little surprise in the middle and for crunch. I like to pair the chocolate covered dates with the same nut inside as the nut butter I'm using. You can even try mixing it up and adding a different nut on the inside than the butter used. Other nuts you can use are pistachios, walnuts, or even cashew
- Chocolate, well you can't have chocolate dates without chocolate right! There isn't a rule here on what type of chocolate to use. I personally love using dark chocolate with 85% cacao. The higher the percentage of cacao means it's richer in dark chocolate taste, antioxidants and has less sugar too. You can of course use a less percentage of dark chocolate, or even use semi sweet chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, or chocolate chips
- Toppings, I like to garnish the chocolate dates with either crushed nuts or even flakey sea salt
How to make Chocolate Dates
Time needed: 20 minutes.
- Melt chocolate
Melt chocolate using either the double boiler method or microwave
- Remove pits from dates
Using a knife or your fingers, carefully slice a date lengthways to open and remove the pit. Make sure not to cut all the way through the other side
- Add filling
Add a teaspoon of nut butter inside the date and spread on both sides, followed by adding a nut in the middle
- Time to dip
Close the date and dip into the melted chocolate using your fingers or a fork. Make sure they are fully coated and allow the excess chocolate to drip off then place on a tray with parchment paper
- Add toppings and freeze
Sprinkle with crushed nuts or flakey salt then freeze for 20-30 minutes to allow the chocolate to set. You can then enjoy your Chocolate Dates!
Peanut Butter Dates (Date Snickers)
Dates and Peanut Butter are a match made in heaven!
Peanut butter stuffed dates are one of the first recipes I ever shared on social media 2 years ago! Medjool dates are stuffed with peanut butter and peanuts and then covered in melted chocolate.
I call them Date Snickers or Snickers Stuffed Dates as they really do taste like a snickers bar, but healthy too!
If you close your eyes when you take a bite, you will think its a snickers bar hehe
Hazelnut Dates (Healthy Ferrero Rocher)
These are one of my newest creations. If you’re like me and love Ferrero Rocher chocolates, you will love these!
The Medjool dates are stuffed with creamy hazelnut butter with a whole hazelnut in the middle, before coating in melted chocolate. Don't forget to add crushed hazelnuts on top for the signature Ferrero Rocher look and taste. So fun and absolutely delicious!
I've also made my own hazelnut butter for this recipe which is super easy, and cheaper too.
I will be posting the recipe super soon so stay tuned xx
Almond Dates
Almond stuffed dates are one of the classic ways we would eat stuffed dates in my family.
We would normally make it with just an almond in the middle, but these are so much better!
In the image below are almond butter stuffed dates, with a whole almond in the middle. Then covered in melted chocolate and topped with crushed almonds too… yum!
You can also make your own almond butter too, or easily buy it from the supermarket or health food store.
Tips for the best Chocolate Dates
- Make a production line to make the process quicker. I like to make the dates in stages like, rather than each date separately. Starting with pitting, filling, coating, etc
- Use whole dates rather than pitted dates and remove the seed yourself. Pitted dates are usually dry on the inside
- Roast your nuts! It makes them taste so much better
- If melting chocolate in the microwave, use a microwave-safe bowl. Also, melt in stages and stir the chocolate so it doesn't burn
- Add coconut oil to the melted chocolate to help it set quicker. I personally don't do this as it sets in the freezer just as fine without it
- Place chocolate covered dates on parchment paper so they don't get stuck on the bottom. You can also use a baking sheet too
- Add the toppings while the chocolate is still melted and hasn't set. This is so the crushed nuts or salt stick to the dates when frozen
FAQs
Medjool dates are considered a fruit and are much larger than standard dates known as Deglet Noor. They are naturally sweet with a soft texture and have a caramel like taste, with a pit in the middle
Medjool dates are nutritious and contain health benefits and vitamins such as fiber, potassium, natural sugars, and more. Source
Once they have set, you can either store them in the fridge or freezer. I personally store mine in the freezer and allow them to defrost for 5 minutes and they’re ready to eat!
Chocolate dates are considered a healthy treat if made with the right ingredients. Such as using natural nut butters and nuts which contain natural fats and protein
Using dark chocolate which has a higher cacao percentage is also best which is high in antioxidants and low in sugar
More Sweet Recipes
- Healthy Apple Crumble
- Custard Yogurt Toast (Viral Tiktok Recipe)
- Tiramisu Cups
- Nutella French Toast
- Chocolate Avocado Mousse
I love seeing your creations and remakes, so be sure to tag @cookingwithayeh and share your Chocolate Dates photo on Instagram so I can share the love.
Recipe
Chocolate Dates
Ingredients
- 20 Medjool dates
- ⅓ cup nut butter
- 20 nuts
- 100 g dark chocolate (or preferred chocolate)
Garnish
- Flakey sea salt and crushed nuts
Instructions
- Melt the chocolate using either the double boiler method or microwave.
- Using a knife or your fingers, carefully slice a date lengthways to open and remove the pit. Making sure not to cut all the way through the other side .
- Add a teaspoon of nut butter inside the date and spread on both sides, followed by adding a nut in the middle.
- Close the date and dip into the melted chocolate using your fingers or a fork. Make sure the are fully coated and allow the excess chocolate to drip off then place on a tray with parchment paper.
- Sprinkle with crushed peanuts or flakey salt then freeze for 20-30 minutes to allow the chocolate to set. You can then enjoy your Chocolate Dates!
Mona
I just made these chocolate dates today for an Iftar gathering. I used peanut butter and peanuts or almonds as filling and coated them with a mixture of melted dark and milk chocolate. Everyone liked them and they couldn't believe these wonderful things were homemade.
Ayeh
So lovely to hear Mona 🙂 They are so nice to serve to guests, so happy everyone loved them xxx