Stuffed dates, whyyyyyy didn’t I do this sooner?! I love dates, especially now in pregnancy. Hits the sweets craving that I get heavy when I’m pregnant. And my go-to is usually just standing at the kitchen counter dipped dates into a jar of peanut butter. Which don’t get me wrong, is so good, but these dates are a major step and I don’t think I can go back after trying them.
There is not much to this ‘recipe’ other than pitting, stuffing, drizzling, then freezing. But I will walk you through it anyway. I use Medjool dates because those are the only kind I buy. I find them to be so sweet and creamy. Perfect for dessert. From there you just slit one side and remove the pit. Stuff it with a little peanut butter, about a couple of teaspoons. Then take some melted chocolate and drizzle it on top. Then sprinkle with some granola or chopped peanuts. I like both! Place in a single layer and freeze for about 30 minutes.
A couple of notes. For the melted chocolate, just microwave for about 30 seconds. Then give it a stir. It might not look melted but it should be. You don’t want to overheat and risk burning it. Stir in a little coconut oil to get it nice and drizzle. You can drizzle over the stuffed dates or dip them straight into the chocolate. Freezing them with get them nice and solid, but they are solid after freezing so you will either have to let them defrost a little before eating or store them in the fridge. Otherwise, you might risk chipping a tooth!
Ingredients
Method
- Start by pitting the dates if they are not already pitted.
- Spoon in a couple teaspoons of peanut butter into center of the date, more or less depending on the size of the date.
- Melt the chocolate in a microwave safe dish for roughly 30 seconds. Give it a stir and it should all melt, even if it doesn't look melted. Stir through the melted coconut oil. Drizzle the chocolate over each date or you could dip the tops in. Sprinkle the granola over the melted chocolate.
- Freeze for about 30 minutes to harden. I like to store in the fridge so they are softer, but you can store them in the freezer, they will just need to defrost slightly before you eat. Enjoy!
So now we’ve gone over the beautiful simplicity of these dates and why they are so good. But did you also know they are actually good for you? Yep, a delicious dessert you can feel good about. We are getting protein from the peanut butter, and if you use dark chocolate, you’ll get an antioxidant boost. But the real hard hitters here are the dates. First, they are a natural sugar. Still sugar but nothing processed here which is something I love. They are rich in antioxidants too, plus iron, potassium, and fiber. Far from an empty calorie sweet! Plus, if you are pregnant, word is they are great to add daily in the third trimester to help ‘ripen’ the cervix. So enjoy!
