Chocolate Covered Almond Butter Stuffed Dates are like nature’s candy! Sweet, chewy, crunchy, and rich, these nutty stuffed dates are made with whole foods. Use peanut butter too!
We’ve all enjoyed the deliciousness that is bacon-wrapped goat cheese stuffed dates, but have you tried stuffing dates with almond butter and chopped nuts and drizzling the whole thing in melted chocolate?
You know…for the sake of science?
It is, in a word: vivacious.
We get a soft and chewy sweetness from the dates. A creamy richness from the almond butter. Beautiful crunch from chopped pecans. Rich chocolate kicker from the drizzle. And a touch of salt to counterbalance all of the sweet.
Basically, you’re looking at the very formula for lighting up those pleasure centers in your brain.
The best part about this delicious recipe, is we only need 5 basic ingredients that can be found at any grocery store.
Pitted medjool dates, nut butter of choice, raw nuts of choice, chocolate chips of choice, and a tiny amount of coconut oil.
Almond butter lends healthy fat to delicious desserts. While dates are high in sugar, they are also a good source of fiber and are full of antioxidants.
If you love a bite of a candy bar from time to time, you may just love this less processed version. Plenty sweet with a touch of salt, creamy nuttiness and some crunch, this simple recipe covers all the bases that make candy so enticing.
This recipe makes 16 stuffed dates. Make a double batch if you’re preparing this healthier dessert for holiday gifts or kids lunch box. They are delicious any time of year, particularly during the holiday season when we all feel those sweet cravings.
Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for Almond Butter Stuffed Dates.
Ingredients for Almond Butter Stuffed Dates:
Medjool Dates: The star of the show! Medjool dates have soft and chewy texture and plenty of sweet flavor. This makes them ideal for those who have a sweet tooth but try to keep treats mindful.
You can buy medjool dates pre-pitted, or you can easily remove the pits yourself.
Unsweetened Almond Butter (or Peanut Butter): Used to create that gooey center and rich flavor, we need some form of nut butter. I use creamy almond butter but any of your favorite nut or seed butters will work.
You’ll be able to taste the flavor of whatever you use, so be sure you choose one you enjoy.
I find that dates are sweet enough due to their natural sugars so I use unsweetened natural almond butter or creamy peanut butter.
Raw Pecans: Because no soft and squishy treat would be complete without a little crunch, I add some chopped raw pecans to the center of the dates.
Chocolate Chips: Semisweet chocolate chips get melted to drizzle over the stuffed dates, creating a chocolate shell. I love this touch because it gives the dates a sort of mock candy bar appeal. Plus, chocolate is delicious.
You can use sugar-free chocolate chips, dairy-free chocolate chips for a vegan option, or dark chocolate chips.
Coconut Oil: A little coconut oil gets warmed up with the chocolate chips to help it melt evenly. You can replace it with butter if you’d like.
Flaky Sea Salt (optional): If you love the salty sweet combo, be sure to sprinkle the wet chocolate with flaky sea salt.
There are many ways you can customize this dates recipe. Here are some options.
Recipe Adaptations:
- Use peanut butter, cashew butter, sunflower seed butter, or Nutzzo instead of almond butter to stuff the dates.
- Replace the pecans with peanuts, raw almonds, or walnuts or skip the nuts altogether if you don’t need a crunch.
- Skip the melted chocolate for a refined sugar-free treat.
- While you can use deglet noor dates, I prefer using medjool dates because they are larger which makes them easier to stuff.
- If you prefer using a double boiler over the microwave, feel free to go this route to melt the chocolate chips.
- For those who make their own almond butter or peanut butter, this is one of my favorite ways of putting raw almond butter to use.
- Coconut lovers, sprinkle coconut flakes over the melted chocolate for a little bite of bliss.
- For a refined sugar-free version, omit the melted chocolate and sprinkle cacao nibs on top.
Now that we’ve covered the healthy ingredients for this amazing treat, let’s make them!
How to Make Almond Butter Stuffed Dates:
Use a paring knife to slice the dates open lengthwise and remove the pits. Note: if you bought pitted dates, you won’t need to remove the pits, but you will still need to slice the dates open to make room for the almond butter.
Transfer the pitted sliced dates to a small baking sheet, plate, or platter.
Use a butter knife or a small spoon to stuff dates with 1 to 2 teaspoons of almond butter. The amount of almond butter you use depends on how large your dates are and how much almond butter you want stuffed inside. This doesn’t need to be an exact science so follow your heart here.
Press the tops of the almond butter with chopped pecans. Note: you can also place the chopped nuts into the cavity of the dates before adding the almond butter.
Transfer the chocolate chips and coconut oil to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 20-second intervals until melted, stirring well between each interval, about 60 seconds total.
Drizzle melted chocolate over the stuffed dates. You can coat the whole date in chocolate or do a light drizzle. I like both methods.
If you’d like, sprinkle the dates with flaky sea salt while the chocolate is still melted.
Transfer the sheet pan (or plate) to the refrigerator and chill until the chocolate has hardened, about 30 minutes to 1 hour. Enjoy!
How to Store Stuffed Dates:
Transfer the chocolate-covered dates to an airtight container or a zip lock bag and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Chocolate covered dates can be stored on the counter at room temperature for up to 2 days. Once the chocolate has hardened, the dates will stay solid and the chocolate shouldn’t melt.
These stuffed dates can also be frozen in a zip lock bag for up to 3 months. This is my preferred storage method because I can just bring one out of the freezer whenever I’m craving one.
I love that these chocolate covered dates are made with real ingredients but are still plenty fancy for any special occasion. They are kind of reminiscent of snickers bars, especially if you use peanut butter.
The sweetness of the dates paired with the creamy almond butter and crunchy nuts take this perfect treat to the next level.
If you enjoy making homemade candy or treats like this, also try my Peanut Butter Pecan Turtle Candy or my Easy 3-Ingredient Chocolate Truffles.
Looking for more impressive treats for chocolate and nut lovers? Also try out these gems.
More Delicious Dessert Recipes:
- 5-Ingredient Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
- Gluten-Free White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
- Healthy No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Snowballs
Get your salty sweet fix!
Ingredients
- 16 medjool dates, pitted*
- ⅓ to ½ cup unsweetened creamy almond butter, **
- ½ cup raw pecans, chopped**
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- Flaky sea salt for garnish
Instructions
- Use a paring knife to slice the dates open lengthwise and remove the pits. Note: if you bought pitted dates, you won’t need to remove the pits, but you will still need to slice the dates open to make room for the almond butter. Transfer the pitted sliced dates to a small baking sheet, plate, or platter.
- Use a butter knife or a small spoon to stuff dates with 1 to 2 teaspoons of almond butter. The amount of almond butter you use depends on how large your dates are and how much almond butter you want stuffed inside. This doesn’t need to be an exact science so follow your heart here.
- Press the tops of the almond butter with chopped pecans. Note: you can also place the chopped nuts into the cavity of the dates before adding the almond butter.
- Transfer the chocolate chips and coconut oil to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 20-second intervals until melted, stirring well between each interval, about 60 seconds total.
- Drizzle melted chocolate over the stuffed dates. You can coat the whole date in chocolate or do a light drizzle. I like both methods.
- If you’d like, sprinkle the dates with flaky sea salt while the chocolate is still melted.
- Transfer the sheet pan (or plate) to the refrigerator and chill until the chocolate has hardened, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Notes
Nutrition
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