Crunchy, gooey peanut butter–stuffed dates dipped in chocolate
These gemmy Medjools get a dark chocolate shell and a salty peanut crunch
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The perfect post-dinner sweet treat should be three things. Sweet, easy, and irresistibly delectable.
These jammy Medjool dates, stuffed with silky peanut butter, crunchy peanuts, and cloaked in a hard shell chocolate coating, check every box. They are nougat-y, chewy, melty, and crunchy. I am salivating just writing this.
They require 15 minutes of prep work (plus 15 mins in the freezer to harden the chocolate for that magic shell), but if you make them in large batches like I do, one afternoon of work can feed a hungry house for weeks on end. Just don’t be surprised if they disappear faster than expected.
It’s worth seeking out the best Medjool dates you can find for this recipe. They’re the softest, jammiest, most caramel-like dates available—and the larger and gooier, the better. They’re what give this recipe that “Wait… is this a Snickers?” kind of magic.
Chocolate-covered peanut butter crunch stuffed dates
Time: 15 minutes + 15 minutes to chill
Note: adjust the number of dates (and the rest of your recipe) to your liking. You can make as big a batch as you want! This recipe is very forgiving. For the melted chocolate, if it’s too thick, add a little more coconut oil. If it’s too thin and oily, add more cacao powder or chocolate chips.
Ingredients
10-12 Medjool dates, pitted and crowns removed
1/4 cup chocolate chips
~1 tsp coconut oil
~1 tbsp cacao powder
Smooth peanut butter
Handful of roasted, salted peanuts
Optional: flaky sea salt
Instructions
Over low heat, melt the chocolate chips, coconut oil, and cacao powder in a small saucepan. Stir every few minutes with a wooden spoon to keep chocolate from burning.
Line a cutting board or baking sheet with parchment paper. Make sure it fits in your freezer since you’ll be using this to hold the dates while they set. Pit and remove the crowns (stems) from each date. Then, using your finger or a small knife, gently slice down one side to open it into a pocket without cutting all the way through. Arrange the opened dates in rows on the parchment, two finger-lengths apart.
Using a butter knife, spread a small amount of peanut butter into one side of the opened date. Resist the urge to overfill—it only needs enough to coat the inside. Too much, and the date might split.
Press 2-3 peanuts into the peanut butter filling.
Your chocolate should be melted by now. You want a thick enough texture that still easily drizzles with a spoon. See note above for tips. Remove pan from heat.
Carefully dip each date into the melted chocolate, keeping it upright as best you can. You can fully submerge it or go for a half-dip, which creates a nice contrast in texture. I like to do a mix of both. If full coverage makes you lose peanuts/peanut butter, you can always spoon extra chocolate over the tops while they sit upright on the parchment.
Option here to add a sprinkle of salty flakes while wet.
Slide the parchment-lined tray into the freezer and let the dates set for 15 minutes. Once firm, transfer to a freezer-safe container. Keep them stashed for sweet treats on tap.
I hope you enjoy these as much as Jack and I do. Feel free to share this recipe with a friend who might also love it. I’ll see you on Wednesday for style!
