Chocolate Covered Stuffed Dates

These chocolate covered peanut butter stuffed dates are just like snickers but better! This naturally sweetened dish is perfect for snacking and once you have a chocolate covered date, you will not want them any other way!

Kid friendly, easy to make and so delicious, these peanut butter stuffed dates are also vegan, gluten free and can be made allergy friendly with sunbutter!

Why you will love this recipe

• These stuffed dates have just 5 ingredients and are so easy to make, even your kids could make them with you!
• Great for meal prep! If you love having something sweet in the middle of the day or after dinner, make a large batch of these chocolate covered dates and store them in the fridge or freezer all week long.
• Customize these based on what you have on hand! You can use any nut or seed butter to stuff these dates! Drizzle the chocolate or dunk the entire date depending on what you are in the mood for.
• These are a healthy alternative to snickers bites! Medjool dates have a caramel flavor to them and combined with the peanut butter and chocolate, these are the perfect substitution for snickers bites!

Ingredients

• Medjool dates – I like to use medjool dates because they are easy to find, have an intense caramel flavor and they are big and easy to stuff. You could also use deglet noor dates. Just be sure that you remove the pit from the date before stuffing them.
• Peanut butter – this helps with that snickers flavor and I always have peanut butter on hand. You coul also use almond butter, tahini, sunflower seed butter or cashew butter.
• Maple syrup (optional)– because I often use very dark chocolate (sometimes unsweetened) I often add a touch of maple syrup to the peanut butter to help sweeten the dish. You can absolutely omit the maple syrup, as it’s optional.
• Pecan pieces – I like to add pecans to the stuffed dates as having them inside reminds me of the peanuts from snickers. They help provide some crunch and texture to the dish. You could use chopped peanuts, chopped walnuts or chopped pecans or toasted sunflower seeds for an allergy friendly option.
• Chocolate chips – be sure the chocolate is dairy free if you need this dish to be vegan. I like a very dark chocolate for this. Trader Joes makes both a 70% dark chocolate chip and a 100% dark chocolate chip that I like to blend and use for the coating of these peanut butter stuffed dates. Use whatever your favorite chocolate is for this.

Instructions

Check out the step by step story on how to make peanut butter stuffed dates.

Start by removing the pit from the dates. Cut the date lengthwise and remove the pit.

If you are using the optional maple syrup, in a small bowl combine the peanut butter and maple syrup.

Place the dates on a parchment or wax paper lined baking sheet. Add one or two pecan pieces to the cavity of the date and stuff the rest with the peanut butter mixture. Be sure not to overstuff the dates or the peanut butter will ooze out the sides. Return the dates to the baking sheet.

Place the dates in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. This helps the filling harden so it’s not leaking out when trying to coat the dates in chocolate.

In a microwave safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips and 1 tbsp. peanut butter. Microwave for 30 seconds. Remove from the microwave and stir. Microwave another 30 seconds. Stir the chocolate chip mixture well until fully melted.

Take the dates out of the freezer and begin to coat them with chocolate. Typically I like to place the date on a large fork and spoon the chocolate over the top. This way the cold dates don’t make the chocolate seize up (which will happen if you drop the cold dates right into the chocolate).

Once coated in chocolate, place the date back on the baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. Once all the dates are coated in chocolate, place them in the fridge for 15-30 minutes to let the chocolate set.

Store the chocolate coated dates in the fridge for up to 10 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Top tips

• Because tempering chocolate can be a very delicate process, I like to add either coconut oil or in this case some runny peanut butter to the chocolate chips as they are melting. This addition of fat helps the chocolate set up as if It were tempered.
• If you don’t want to use a microwave to melt the chocolate, you can use a double boiler. Place a bowl over simmering water (make sure the bowl is large enough so the bowl doesn’t touch the water). Regularly stir the chocolate in the bowl over simmering water until it’s melted. Be sure the water never comes in contact with the chocolate as it will make the chocolate seize up.
• Don’t overstuff the dates or the filling will ooze out.
• Set the chocolate in the fridge not the freezer. If you use the freezer to set chocolate, you may notice the chocolate “sweats” at room temperature. Once the chocoalte is set, you can transfer them to the freezer.
• If you don’t want to dunk the dates in chocolate, you can drizzle them with chocolate instead. This is great if you are short on time or want these to be a little more calorie friendly.

FAQs

How to remove the pit from a date

You don’t want to cut all the way through the date, since there is a pit on the inside. Cut lengthwise (from top to bottom) on one side. Pull the date apart at the cut and you will see the pit inside. Remove the pit and fill with your favorite filling.

Where to find medjool dates

Dates are typically found in the produce section of the grocery store. They are sometimes in a large self serve type containers but often they are in plastic containers that have about 20-25 dates in each container. At Trader Joe’s, the dates are usually in the refrigerated section. At Aldi and my local grocery store, they are by the bananas. You may also want to check the dried fruit section of your store.

What is the best date for stuffing?

Medjool dates: Easy to find, large, caramel flavor and great for stuffing. These make a large candy bite (perfect for afternoon sweets cravings).

Deglet Noor dates: These are often in the dried fruit section and are often already pitted. These are smaller in size and a little less chewy. You may notice that these are much more budget friendly and they are perfect if you want a small treat.

Storage:

Fridge: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 10 days.

Freezer: Freeze in a single layer until frozen solid then transfer to freezer safe bag for up to 3 months. I eat them right out of the freezer – so good!