Homemade Chocolate Covered Dates

Make these drool-worthy Homemade Chocolate Covered Dates with a few easy-to-find ingredients! They are made with dates, dark chocolate, white chocolate, peanuts, peanut butter, coconut flakes and almonds. Serve during Ramadan for iftar or as a snack.

Sweet, chocolatey and delicious, these tasty chocolate-covered dates are a satisfying energy-boosting treat. Plus, you only need a few simple ingredients to make them!

Dates are a type of stone fruit that grows on date palm trees. They are native to the middle east and other regions with hot climates. Dates are typically brown in color, have an oval, cylindrical shape and have a seed in the middle. They are high in sugar and are eaten fresh or dried.

You'll also enjoy this indulgent Easy Moist Date Cake.

What I Love About This Recipe

• They are fun to prepare and give you a chance to get creative.
• They taste delicious!
• Wrap them up nicely and make these assorted chocolate-covered dates a gift.
• You can add a variety of toppings and fillings so there will be something for everyone to enjoy.
• They are quick to prepare.

Ingredients

• Dates: I use Medjool dates for this recipe. They usually have a large seed in the middle that needs to be removed before preparing the sweets. Slice along the date (longways) and remove the seed. Do not slice the date in half. The cut should be deep enough for you to remove the seed.
• Plain chocolate: I melted plain dark chocolate from my local supermarket and used it to coat half of the dates. If you do not like dark chocolate, use milk chocolate instead.
• Plain white chocolate: Melt plain white chocolate and use it to coat the second half of the dates.
• Peanuts: Roasted peanuts make up half of the filling. Roughly chop some of them and use the chopped pieces to top some of the dates.
• Almonds: This is also used to fill in the dates. Select good quality almonds.
• Caramel: I add caramel to the filling to make date Snickers. Make it from scratch or buy it from the supermarket.
• Peanut butter: Select good quality peanut butter to fill the dates.
• Coconut flakes: Once the dates are coated with white chocolate, they are rolled around in coconut flakes.

Tips and Substitutions

• Add-ins: Get creative with this recipe and fill the dates with any nut of your choice. For example, pecans, walnuts, cashew nuts, brazil nuts or pistachios. Pistachios are a popular choice. The dates can also be filled with jam and topped with dried fruit.
• Chocolate: If you happen to have leftover milk chocolate ganache, dark chocolate ganache, white chocolate ganache, or pistachio ganache, you can also use them to coat the dates.
• Melted chocolate: Work quickly, as the chocolate will harden if it is left out for too long. If the chocolate hardens, reheat it in the microwave for 30 seconds to soften it.
• Hardening: Once you have finished decorating and filling the dates, let them set in the fridge or at room temperature. If you live in a hot climate, it is probably best to refrigerate them.
• Fillings and toppings: Get creative with the fillings and toppings. Fill the dates with cashew butter, almond butter or fruit. Coat them with dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate or leave them plain! Top them with dried fruit and any nut you choose or decorate them with chocolate.

How to Make Homemade Chocolate Covered Dates

1. Use a knife to slice a slit lengthways along a date and remove the seed. Repeat this step with all twenty dates. Do not slice the date in half.
2. Then, add 100g of chopped dark chocolate to a bowl, heat in a microwave for 30 seconds, and stir. Repeat this step until the chocolate has fully melted and is smooth. If you don't like dark chocolate, you can use semi-sweet chocolate instead.

3. Repeat the previous step with 100g of chopped white chocolate and melt it.

4. Next, fill one date with peanut butter, caramel and add peanuts. Do not add too many peanuts, as the date should be able to close.

5. Carefully push a toothpick through the date and dip it into the melted dark chocolate, making sure the date is fully coated. Then, top half of the date with chopped peanuts. Place the date on a cooling rack or parchment paper. If the date is on a cooling rack, place a baking tray under it because the chocolate will drip. Repeat this with seven dates.

Coat Dates with Chocolate

6. Fill a date with an almond. Push a toothpick through and coat it with white chocolate.

7. Then, roll the date in coconut flakes and make sure it is fully coated. Place the date on a cooling rack or parchment paper. Repeat this step with seven dates.

8. Next, fill another date with peanuts. Push a toothpick through it and coat it in dark chocolate. Add white chocolate to a piping bag and decorate it with a diagonal design (image 9). Place the date on a cooling rack. Repeat with two more dates.

9. Finally, fill another date with an almond. Push a toothpick through and coat it with white chocolate. Add dark chocolate to a piping bag and decorate it with a diagonal design (as shown). Place the date on a cooling rack. Repeat with two more dates.

10. Let all of the dates cool completely at room temperature or in the fridge for 15-20 minutes. The chocolate should harden.

11. Serve Chocolate Covered Dates as a snack, for iftar or as a gift.

Recipe FAQs

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