These easy 5-Ingredient Indulgent Date Bites are the perfect healthy treat to have on hand when you need to satisfy your sweet tooth.
We’re all guilty of it: reaching into that forbidden cupboard full of candy to help us get through a busy afternoon. But what if you had a “healthy” treat just sitting in your fridge that would satisfy any degree of sweet tooth? These 5-Ingredient Indulgent Date Bites are easy to make and will keep you from crashing while you’re still trying to get the kids organized, fed and put to bed. Pair them with a hydrating smoothie for the perfect afternoon snack!
Why This Recipe Works
- You need just five ingredients – dates, almond butter, dark chocolate and sea salt.
- They’re a no-bake treat, so you don’t even need to turn on the oven.
- They taste way more indulgent than they actually are.
- You’ll get a dose of filling protein and fiber while you’re satisfying that sweet tooth.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Spoiler alert: there are just FIVE!
Almond butter – You’ll want a fairly creamy almond butter so you can easily stuff it inside the dates.
Dark chocolate – Find a bar in the baking section of your grocery store or buy your favorite bar (or two of dark chocolate).
Maldon sea salt – You can find this at specialty grocers or online here. Make sure it’s extra flaky!
Dates – I like the pitted dates you can find at Trader Joe’s, but you can also buy whole dates and pit them yourself.
Step-by-Step Instructions
First, you’ll want to make a slit lengthwise in each of your pitted dates, without cutting all the way through.
Then place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and fill each one with a small spoonful of almond butter.
Next, place the chopped dark chocolate and coconut oil in a double boiler over medium-low heat. If you don’t have a double boiler, you can simply put a heat-proof mixing bowl over a medium saucepan will with an inch or two of water.
Once the chocolate is nice and smooth, keep it over very low heat and carefully dip each date as far into the chocolate as you can, placing them back on the parchment-lined baking sheet when you’re done.
Finally, sprinkle each date with just a little bit of the sea salt.
Place the tray of dates in the refrigerator for at least an hour, or until the chocolate is hardened. Then remove the dates from the baking sheet and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Find the web story for this recipe here.
FAQs
Yes! Feel free to use any nut butter you like.
Try to find the plumpest, juiciest dates you can for this recipe. You want to be sure you can easily stuff them and they will hold up when dipping in the warm chocolate. Try to stay away from hard, dry dates.
The closest thing to a double boiler would be to place a metal or heat-proof glass mixing bowl over a medium saucepan filled with a couple of inches of water. Alternatively, you can microwave the chocolate and coconut oil together in a microwave-safe bowl in intervals of 30 seconds, stirring after each interval.
The Date Bites will last the longest if you store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will last this way for up to two weeks.
More Recipes Using Dates
Weekend Hazelnut Sticky Buns with Date Caramel
Rosemary, Fig and Date Tequila Smash
Tahini Blondies with Whiskey Date Caramel and Sea Salt
5-Ingredient Indulgent Date Bites
Ingredients
- 24 dates slit down the side and pits removed
- ¼ cup almond butter
- 8 ounces dark chocolate chopped into small pieces
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1-2 teaspoons Maldon sea salt
Instructions
- Begin by stuffing each pitted date with ½ teaspoon of almond butter. Place on a large cookie sheet covered with parchment paper and set aside.
- Using a double boiler over medium heat (or simply creating a “double boiler” with a medium saucepan filled with about an inch of water with a medium, heatproof mixing bowl on top) melt the dark chocolate and coconut oil together.
- Remove boiler (or mixing bowl) from heat and begin dipping the almond butter stuffed dates into the chocolate. You will only be able to dip them half- or three quarters of the way because you will need to hold on to one end as your dipping. Let each date drip slightly and then transfer to the lined cookie sheet.
- Once all dates have been dipped, sprinkle each one with just a touch of Maldon sea salt. Place in refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour, or until the chocolate has hardened. Serve immediately or keep refrigerated for the best integrity.
Notes
- If you don’t own a double boiler, place a heat-proof mixing bowl over a saucepan filled with a couple of inches of water on the stove instead.
- Store date bites in the refrigerator or, to keep them even longer, in the freezer.
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