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Traditional Stuffed Dates Recipe

This Traditional Stuffed Dates Recipe feature pecans, zested orange and shredded coconut, coated in chocolate for a nutritious snack!
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Refrigeration Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Course Snack
Cuisine Middle Eastern
Servings 6 dates
Calories 85 kcal

Equipment

  • 2 Small Stovetop Pots, one larger than the other to mimic a double boiler to melt chocolate
  • Small skillet
  • Large hole grater

Ingredients
  

  • 6 large medjool dates pitted and sliced lengthwise
  • 2 tbsp semisweet chocolate chips
  • 6 raw pecans
  • 6 tsp shredded coconut
  • 1 small orange or tangerine for zesting

Instructions
 

  • Add the pecans to a small skillet over medium heat. Constantly stir them around until they begin to brown - they will burn quickly so be careful! You can also taste one to check - it should be crunchier and more flavourful than a raw pecan.
  • Once toasted, remove the pecans from the stovetop. Alternatively, you can skip this step as well if you'd like to keep the pecans raw.
  • Stuff dates with one pecan into all the pitted dates.
  • Take the two small stovetop pots and add water into the larger one, filling it up halfway.
  • Place it over low heat on the stove, then add the smaller pot into it. Make sure the water does not go into the smaller pot - if it does, remove some water from the larger pot.
  • Add the chocolate chips into the smaller pot and constantly stir them around to melt.
  • Once they are melted, turn the heat off and drizzle all of the melted chocolate over the dates. I like to dip a spoon inside the chocolate and very quickly move back and forth over a date to create a drizzle. Otherwise, the chocolate will drop in random clumps over the dates.
  • After the chocolate topping, sprinkle each date with 1 teaspoon shredded coconut.
  • Zest the orange with the grater to add a few orange flakes to each date - I didn't measure this, but you can see the amount of orange zest on each date in the photo. Add to your liking.
  • Once completed, refrigerate or freeze the dates for an hour. Personally, I prefer them frozen (they become a lot harder and chewier). I recommend refrigerating them first if you aren't sure on how the texture would change if frozen.
  • Enjoy!

Notes