Chocolate Covered Dates
These Chocolate Covered Dates are rich and indulgent, but nothing to feel guilty over. They are a healthy alternative to any candy bar–they will satisfy your sweet cravings in just one bite! They are THAT good. Make a batch of these at the start of the week and you will have a quick, deliciously sweet snack to eat any time!
I like to call these dates stuffed chocolate covered dates. They are chewy, caramel-y medjool dates and coated in rich semi-sweet, dark, or white chocolate; they are stuffed with cream, cheese, or nut butters–they are truly a sweet, satiating snack.
These delicious stuffed dates are perfect during Ramadan. These healthy stuffed dates are great to break your fast with and they make lovely Ramadan iftar party treats; they look beautiful on an iftar table!
Chocolate Covered Stuffed Dates Recipes
Qatayef Asafiri Dates: if you love qatayef asafiri, then you will love these dates in particular. These dates are stuffed with thick cream, which is flavoured with orange blossom water; they are topped with chopped pistachios, mimicking qatayef asafiri; and drizzled with white chocolate. This one is my personal fave!
Rose Coconut Almond Dates: if you’re a dark chocolate lover, then this one is for you. These dates have a beautifully subtle hint of rose that mixes in with the almond butter. It is then dunked in dark chocolate and topped with shredded coconut and edible rose petals (rose petals are definitely optional, but they’re pretty!).
Cheesecake Dates: these dates taste exactly like a cheesecake–they are so good! They are stuffed with cream cheese that has been flavoured with vanilla extract and lemon juice. Then, they’re dunked in white chocolate and sprinkled with graham cracker crumbs. A no-bake cheesecake!
Peanut Butter Dates: These dates are just as delicious as the others. They are stuffed with creamy peanut butter, dunked in semi-sweet chocolate, and sprinkled with chopped peanuts and flakey sea salt. It is the perfect combination, for sure!
Ingredients Needed for Chocolate Covered Dates
- Medjool dates: in my opinion, medjool dates are the best option for stuffed chocolate covered dates. Their large size is perfect for being stuffed and dipped. They also have a chewy texture and a beautiful caramel flavour to them.
- Chocolate: in this recipe, I used semi-sweet, dark, and white, which I think fits really well with the different flavours. Feel free to switch it up to your personal taste.
- Nut butter: this recipe uses almond butter and peanut butter and goes well with the flavours paired with them.
- Thick cream: a thick cream is needed to be able to stay inside of the pitted dates and not flow out. See the substitution section for other options.
- Cream cheese: this is used for the cheesecake dates–it tastes EXACTLY like a cheesecake!
- Flavourings: this recipe uses rose water, orange blossom water, vanilla extract, and lemon juice for flavour.
- Roasted nuts: used to top off the chocolate covered dates.
How to Make this Chocolate Covered Date Recipe
This recipe is straight-forward and can be easily adaptable to any flavour combination you choose. See section below for ideas for different flavour combinations.
Start by pitting the dates. Simply use a paring knife to create a slit lengthways on the date (don’t go all the way through) and remove the pit.
Prepare the butters or creams. It will be the same process for the butters and cream. [mix the thick cream with the orange blossom water; mix the almond butter with rose water; mix the cream cheese with vanilla and lemon juice] Fill a piping bag or sandwich bag with the mixture and pipe it into the dates. You can even just spoon the mixture into each date.
The next step would be to melt the chocolate and drizzle or dunk the dates into the chocolate. Place chocolate covered dates onto a pan lined with parchment paper and leave in the freezer until chocolate is set, about 10-15 mins. Now you’re ready to enjoy!
Stuffed Dates Substitutions + Ideas
The thing I love most about this recipe is that you can come up with endless combinations that suit your personal taste! For example, this recipe uses 3 types of chocolate, but if you’re not a fan of all 3, you can just use one. If you find that the dates are really sweet, using dark chocolate really helps to balance it out.
This recipe uses peanut butter and almond butter, but feel free to experiment with other nut butters, such as pistachio, cashew, or hazelnut.
If you can’t find thick cream like this Carnation thick cream, try using ashta, custard, or mascarpone cheese-they are great substitutes.
Sprinkle your favourite toppings over the chocolate covered date.
Stuffing ideas
- nut butters: peanut, almond, pistachio, coconut, cashew, walnut
- cheese
- whole nuts: peanut, almond, pistachio, coconut, cashew, walnut
- thick creams and custards
- tahini
Topping ideas
- chopped nuts: peanut, almond, pistachio, coconut, cashew, walnut
- flakey sea salt
- cookie/cracker crumbs
How to Melt Chocolate
Melting chocolate can sometimes be a messy and finnicky task, but following these simple steps will result in smooth and glossy melted chocolate. One thing I highly recommend doing is melting 1 teaspoon of coconut oil with the chocolate. This will help you achieve smooth, glossy melted chocolate with the perfect consistency.
When melting chocolate, you should try to avoid melting using direct heat, such as directly over the stovetop. This can cause your chocolate to burn. Here are 2 simple ways to melt chocolate that will give you the best results.
The double boiler method:
- Set a pot of water on the stovetop and allow to come up to a gentle simmer.
- Place the chocolate (be sure the chocolate pieces are about the same size to allow for uniform melting) and the coconut oil into a clean and completely dry heat-proof bowl that fits perfectly over the pot of water. The bottom of the bowl should not be touching the water.
- Stirring occasionally, allow the chocolate to melt. When there are still a few pieces of chocolate remaining, remove the bowl from the heat and continue to stir until chocolate has completely melted. The chocolate is now ready to be used.
The microwave method:
- Place chocolate in a clean and completely dry microwave-safe bowl (be sure the chocolate pieces are about the same size to allow for uniform melting), along with 1 teaspoon of coconut oil.
- Microwave the chocolate for 30 second intervals, stirring well each time you take the bowl out of the microwave. The bowl may get hot so use oven mitts or a cloth to handle the bowl. Once the chocolate is almost completely melted, stir until the remaining chocolate melts. The chocolate is now ready to be used.
How to Store Chocolate Covered Dates
Chocolate Covered Dates can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. They can also be stored in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 3-4 weeks. You can pull individual dates out of the freezer and let thaw for 5-10 mins and they’ll be ready to eat.
More Iftar recipes you will like: Coconut Shrimp, Chicken Tikka Sliders, Lamb Arayes, Beef Samosa, Potato Samosa
Other recipes you may like: Carrot Cake Loaf, Matcha White Chocolate Cookies, Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate Covered Dates
Description
Chewy Medjool Dates, stuffed with butters and creams; covered with dark, white, and semi-sweet chocolate; and sprinkled with nuts, coconut, and flakey sea salt.
Ingredients
Qatayef Asafiri Dates
Rose Coconut Almond Dates
Cheesecake Dates
Peanut Butter Dates
Instructions
Qatayef Asafiri Dates
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Slice dates lengthways (not all the way through) and remove pit. Set aside.
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Mix the thick cream (read blog post for thick cream substitutes) with the orange blossom water thoroughly, until smooth. You can add more or less, depending on your personal taste.
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Transfer cream into a piping bag or sandwich bag, cut the tip, and pipe the cream into the pitted dates. Sprinkle the chopped pistachios onto the thick cream.
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Melt the chocolate using your preferred method (see section above titled How to Melt Chocolate for tips). Use a spoon or piping bag to drizzle the melted chocolate over the dates. Place in the freezer for 10-15 mins until chocolate has set. Enjoy.
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Rose Coconut Almond Dates
Slice dates lengthways (not all the way through) and remove pit. Set aside.
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Add the rose water to the almond butter and mix thoroughly until smooth. Transfer the mixture into a piping bag or sandwich, cut the tip, and pipe into the pitted dates. Place in the freezer for 10 mins to set before moving on to the next step.
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Melt the chocolate using your preferred method (see section above titled How to Melt Chocolate for tips). Using a spoon, fork, toothpick, or fingers, dip the stuffed date into the melted chocolate, allow excess chocolate to drain, and place onto parchment lined pan. Place in freezer for 10-15 mins until chocolate is set. Enjoy.
Cheesecake Dates
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Slice dates lengthways (not all the way through) and remove pit. Set aside.
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Beat the softened cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla and lemon juice and beat for an additional 30 seconds. Transfer mixture into a piping bag or sandwich bag, cut the tip, and pipe into the pitted dates. Place in the freezer for 10 mins to set before moving onto the next step.
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Melt the chocolate using your preferred method (see section above titled How to Melt Chocolate for tips). Using a spoon, fork, toothpick, or fingers, dip the stuffed date into the melted chocolate, allow excess chocolate to drain, and place onto parchment lined pan. Place in freezer for 10-15 mins until chocolate is set. Enjoy.
Peanut Butter Dates
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Slice dates lengthways (not all the way through) and remove pit. Set aside.
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Transfer peanut butter to piping bag or sandwich bag, cut the tip, and pipe into the pitted dates. Place in the freezer for 10 mins to set before moving onto the next step.
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Melt the chocolate using your preferred method (see section above titled How to Melt Chocolate for tips). Using a spoon, fork, toothpick, or fingers, dip the stuffed date into the melted chocolate, allow excess chocolate to drain, and place onto parchment lined pan. Place in freezer for 10-15 mins until chocolate is set. Enjoy.
Equipment
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