Chocolate Covered Dates with Peanut Butter

These dark chocolate covered dates are stuffed with peanut butter and are finished off with a sprinkling of chopped pistachios. Sweet and gooey with a little saltiness from the peanut butter, these little treats are very easy to make and will satisfy all your sweet cravings!

Fancy a homemade treat to go with your coffee? I got you covered! These stuffed dates are PERFECT with a cup of coffee. Packed with crunchy peanut butter then dipped in dark chocolate these little bites are so easy to make and taste amazing!

I make these every Christmas and I can tell you they disappear within minutes! They're fun to make with the kids too! We love these as a treat but they would make a lovely homemade gift too. That's if you can bring yourself to part with them!

📝 What Do We Need

• Dates - I use pitted Deglet Nour dates. I use pitted dates to save time. You can use Medjool dates but do note that they are sweeter than Deglet Nour.
• Chococlate - 70% cocoa chocolate is perfect for this recipe as it's rich and intense. You can use other dark chocolate or milk chocolate if you like.
• Peanut Butter - I use a crunchy natural peanut butter that has no added sugar. You can use smooth peanut butter if you prefer.
• Nuts - Finely chopped pistachios are great with these stuffed dates but you can omit them if you want.

🔪How To Make Them

1. If your dates aren't pitted then you will need to do that first. Once pitted fill each date with peanut butter. Half a teaspoon should do the trick. Once filled pop them in the freezer for 30 minutes.

2. Melt the chocolate along with the coconut oil. Start dipping each stuffed date into the melted chocolate.

3. Place the dates on a lined baking tray, then sprinkle each date with chopped pistachios. Pop in the fridge for 20 minutes.

👩‍🍳 Expert Tips

• Save your patience and time and buy pitted dates! Unpitted dates are easy to pit, it just takes some time!
• Use the bain-marie/double boiler technique (listed in the recipe card below) to melt your chocolate. This process of melting the chocolate on the stovetop does take longer, about 10 minutes, than microwaving. Melting chocolate can easily go wrong, if the chocolate overheats or comes into contact with moisture it can spilt or become grainy and unusable.
• Use a couple of forks or wooden toothpicks to dip the stuffed dates in the chocolate. Let the dates sit on the fork for a few seconds to drain off the excess chocolate.
• Don't mix up your cooling methods! Feeze the uncovered dates, pop the covered dates in the fridge! Putting the chocolate covered dated into the freezer will affect the chocolate.

📌Variations/Substitutions

• Swap peanut butter for almond butter or tahini!
• Try shredded coconut instead of the pistachios.
• Add a sprinkling of sea salt flakes instead of the chopped nuts. Or, my favourite, add it to the chopped nuts!
• Use milk chocolate instead of dark chocolate.

🍽 More Festive Snacks

If you are a fan of bite-size treats then you'll love my Chocolate Date Truffles, made with hazelnuts and Medjool dates these little bites are truly scrumptious! Want something a little healthier? Try my Power Ball Bites or my Matcha Energy Balls. And if you fancy a pastry treat try my Puff Pastry Mince Pie Squares.