These Chocolate-Covered Smokey Almond Butter Stuffed Dates are a great, unique, edible gift idea for this year’s holidays! You need just three ingredients to make them, and the homemade smoky almond butter is next-level!
This Chocolate-Covered Smoky Almond Butter Stuffed Dates recipe was inspired by bacon-wrapped dates. I love the smoky flavor paired with sweet dates and chocolate. It was a great combo, and these dates make a sweet homemade holiday gift!
Don’t be intimidated by making your own almond butter for these dates. It’s super easy and really brings the flavor to these dates!
Chocolate-Covered Smoky Almond Butter Stuffed Dates Ingredients
- Dates – I usually like to get the big Medjool pitted dates, but I couldn’t find them anywhere, so I used a bag of California pitted dates. They were a little smaller than Medjool dates, but they ended up working really well. You can use whatever kind of dates you like, whether pitted or with the pit in (you can remove it yourself by making a little slice down the middle).
- Smoked Almonds – I used the Blue Diamond brand smokehouse flavored almonds, but you should be able to find some brand of smoky almonds at your grocery store or in the bulk section of a health food store.
- Chocolate Chips – I used dark chocolate morsels but milk chocolate, white chocolate, or vegan chocolate.
- Coconut Oil – Coconut oil is optional. It helps the chocolate look smooth and silky when melted, and it also helps the chocolate harden faster. I like to use refined coconut oil so the coconut taste doesn’t overpower the other flavors in the recipe.
How To Make Almond Butter Stuffed Dates
- Start by making the almond butter. Add the almonds to a food processor and turn on high speed. The whole process takes about five minutes; turn the processor off now and then to scrape the sides down. Blend until it’s smooth and looks like the photo above. Almond butter can be made days in advance and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use because it’s easier to stuff the dates with if it is a little firm.
- Lay your dates out on a large plate or sheet pan. If your dates are already pitted, they should have a slit down the middle that you can carefully open with your fingers. If you’re pitting your own dates, do so by making a slit down the middle to fan the date open.
- Add a spoonful of the smoky almond butter to each date and place it in the freezer. Freeze them for at least a few hours to make the dates easier to handle when coating with the chocolate. I froze mine overnight, and it worked great.
- Add the coconut oil (optional) to the chocolate chips and melt over a double boiler or microwave. I microwave mine for about 45 seconds until they’re almost all melted, then mix until fully melted.
- Place the stuffed date into the chocolate and use two forks to toss it around to make sure it is completely coated. Place the chocolate-covered date on a sheet pan covered with parchment paper. Once all the dates are covered with chocolate, I like to let the chocolate set and then drizzle some extra on top, and then sprinkle with finely chopped smokey almonds.
Chocolate Covered Date Recipe Frequently Asked Questions
- Is this recipe gluten-free? Yes!
- Are these stuffed dates vegan? The ones I made are not because I used regular dark chocolate, but they can be made vegan using vegan chocolate.
- Can I use regular, store-bought almond butter instead of making my own? Of course! I love the smokiness of the homemade almond butter, but the dates would also be delicious with regular almond butter or even peanut butter!
- How should I store the dates once they are done? I like to store mine in the refrigerator, but they should also be good on the counter at room temperature. Ensure they don’t get too warm.
- How long will they last? f stored in the refrigerator, these stuffed dates will stay fresh for a few weeks, if not longer.
Have a question I didn’t answer? Ask me in the comment section below, and I will reply ASAP!
Looking For More Edible Gift Ideas For The Holidays?
Strawberry Coconut Strawberry Cups
2 Ingredient Chocolate Pretzel Bark
Soft and Chewy Molasses Cookies
3-Ingredient Chocolate Peppermint Haystacks
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Chocolate Covered Smoky Almond Butter Stuffed Dates
- Total Time: 3 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: 15-20
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
- 2 cups smoky flavored almonds, plus more for topping
- 1 package pitted dates, medjool dates are great if you’re not sure which ones to get
- 12 oz package chocolate chips, I used dark chocolate but you can use whatever kind you like
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil, optional
Ingredients
Instructions
- Start by making the almond butter. Add the almonds to a food processor and turn on high speed. The whole process takes about 5 minutes and you will want to turn it off every now and then to scrape the sides down. You want to blend it until it’s smooth and looks like the photo in the post above. Almond butter can be made days in advance and can be stored in the refrigerator until ready to use because it’s easier to stuff the dates with if it is a little firm.
- Lay your dates out on a large plate or sheet pan. If your dates are already pitted they should have a slit down the middle that you can carefully open with your fingers. If you are pitting your own dates, do so by making a slit down the middle that can be used to fan open the date with.
- Place a spoonful of the smoky almond butter into each date and place in the freezer. You want to freeze them for at least a few hours so that the dates are easier to handle when coating with the chocolate. I froze mine overnight and it worked great.
- Add the coconut oil (optional) to the chocolate chips and melt either over a double boiler or in the microwave. I microwave mine for about 45 seconds at a time until they are almost all melted and then mix until they become melted.
- Place the stuffed date into the chocolate and use two forks to toss it around to make sure it is completely coated. Place the chocolate covered date on a sheet pan covered with parchment paper. Once all the dates are covered with chocolate I like to let the chocolate set and then drizzle extra chocolate on top and then sprinkle with finely chopped smokey almonds.
- Once the chocolate has cooled completely, dates should be ok to be left out at room temperature or stored in the refrigerator until ready to enjoy.
- Prep Time: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Microwave, Freezer
- Cuisine: American
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