If you love eating dates then you will be glad to know that one of the best ways to enjoy dates is chocolate-covered dates. They are a great snack and a pleasant treat. The best thing is they can be made at home with just 3 ingredients.
They are perfect for gifting during the holidays, birthdays, Christmas, Mother's day, Valentine's day, Thanksgiving, or a special occasion.
These chocolate-dipped dates can be made using a stovetop double boiler, microwave, or instant pot as a double boiler for melting the chocolate.
Ingredients
This is a 3 ingredient chocolate-covered dates recipe. All you will need is semi-sweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate used for baking, pitted Medjool dates, and some walnuts.
You can use any nut like peanuts, walnuts, almonds, or pecans. They can be unsalted raw or salt roasted. Nut butter will also work great for filling.
Instructions
Making chocolate-covered dates is very simple, easy, and quick. Depending on the type of dates you use, you may have to remove the pits from them before stuffing them with chopped walnut pieces.
You will need a double boiler to melt the chocolate chips. I have used 6 qt. instant pot as a double boiler using a glass bowl or a stainless steel bowl that can sit well on top of the instant pot liner.
Add the semi-sweet chocolate chips to the bowl. Start the instant pot on the saute mode on the normal setting and pour 2 cups of water into the liner. Place the bowl with all the ingredients on top of the pot.
As the water will boil and create steam, the chocolate chips in the bowl will start melting. Stir them intermittently with a spatula until they melt completely and become smooth and glossy.
Dip the stuffed dates and coat it well with the melted chocolate using a spoon.
If the steam comes out from the sides of the bowl then press cancel and if needed later turn on the saute mode again after a few minutes.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the chocolate dates onto it. Optionally sprinkle some sea salt on top of it for enhancing the flavor.
Allow it to cool down for about 10 minutes and then place it in the refrigerator to firm it up for about an hour and a half.
Substitutions
Although this is a 2 ingredient recipe, a few substitutions can be made
- Dates - if you cannot find pitted Medjool dates then the non-pitted ones will work as well, just ensure you remove the pits before stuffing them with walnuts.
- Nut butter - you can use nut butter like almond butter or peanut butter instead of walnuts.
Variations
This is a gluten-free recipe to make chocolate-covered dates at home. A few variations can be made to this recipe.
- Dark chocolate - instead of semi-sweet chocolate chips, you can use dark chocolate chips. As the dates are already sweet, dark chocolate will pair well with them.
- Nuts - you can use pecans, almonds, cashews, or other nuts to stuff the dates.
- Vegan - use vegan chocolate chips to make them suitable for vegans.
Equipment
This chocolate-dipped dates recipe is very easy to make using the instant pot as a double boiler. I have used a 6 qt. instant pot and a stainless steel bowl that sits well on the top of the liner. An oven-safe glass bowl will work well too.
Just ensure that the stainless steel or glass bowl sits on the instant pot liner and does not go inside it, else it can get stuck and be difficult to remove.
If you do not have an instant pot then you can use a stovetop double boiler or melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave as per the directions on the package.
Storage
Chocolate-covered dates can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for about a week. If the weather is warm then they may become a little soft at room temperature and they will stay firm when stored in the refrigerator.
If you want to store it longer for 1-2 months, you can store it in an air-tight container and put it in the fridge.
To store chocolate dates for a longer period, you can freeze them for 6 months. It is best to individually wrap them in parchment paper and then freeze them in freezer bags or airtight containers.
When you want to eat some, just take what you need from the freezer and allow it to thaw it at room temperature.
Top tip
- It is best to allow the chocolate-dipped dates to cool down and set them at room temperature. However, if you want to speed up the process, allow it to cool at room temperature for about 10 minutes and then put it in the fridge for about an hour to firm up.
- If the water starts bubbling and steam comes out from the sides of the bowl then turn off the instant pot for a few minutes. Continue mixing and if needed, turn the instant pot back on low saute mode.
If you enjoyed this recipe, you may also like
- Chocolate fudge
- Chocolate dipped cookies
- Chocolate-covered orange peels
- Cake pops
- Instant pot Indian desserts
- No egg cookies
- Peanut clusters
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📖 Recipe
Chocolate Covered Dates
Equipment
- Glass bowl (which can sit on top of the instant pot liner)
Instructions
- Slit the dates with a knife and stuff it with walnut pieces.
- Line 15x11 inch pan with wax paper or parchment paper.
Melting chocolate using an instant pot as a double boiler
- Pour 2 cups of water in the instant pot liner.
- Turn the saute mode on the normal setting.
- In a large stainless steel or glass bowl, put the chocolate chips.
- Place the bowl on the instant pot to make it work as a double boiler.
- Mix with a spatula until all the chocolate chips have melted.
- The melted chocolate should not have any lumps and should be glossy.
Coating dates with melted chocolate
- Add a few walnut stuffed dates to the melted chocolate.
- Using a spoon coat the date completely with melted chocolate.
- Place the chocolate covered date onto the tray lined with wax paper or parchment paper.
- Optionally sprinkle some sea salt on the chocolate dates.
- Allow the chocolate dipped dates to cool down for 10 minutes and then refrigerate for about 1-2 hours before eating.
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Notes
- If the water starts bubbling and steam comes out from the sides of the bowl then turn off the instant pot for a few minutes. Continue mixing and if needed, turn the instant pot back on low saute mode.
- If you do not have an instant pot, you can use a stovetop double boiler.
- To melt the chocolate in the microwave.
- Defrost the chocolate chips for 60 seconds in the microwave, mixing every 15 seconds. Mix well until smooth.
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