EARTH INSPIRED EATS

Dark Chocolate-Covered, Sunbutter-Stuffed Dates

By Liz Fetchin, Octofree
Octofree.com  @octofree on Instagram

February 10, 2025

These gluten-free, nut-free, vegan treats are a cinch to make, and sure to sweeten the day of whoever you gift them to. If you do not have a nut allergy, you can substitute whatever nut butter you like the most in place of the sunflower seed butter.

INGREDIENTS:

1. Use a sharp knife to carefully cut a slit lengthwise down the center of each date, being careful not to slice all the way through.
2. Place dates on a parchment or foil-lined baking sheet.
3. Place Sunbutter in a sandwich-sized plastic baggie, squeezing the Sunbutter into one corner, then cut a tiny bit of the corner off, creating a makeshift frosting bag. (This will make it easier to fill the dates).
4. Fill each date with Sunbutter.
5. Pierce each date with a toothpick through the middle of the horizontal side so that the Sunbutter is held in place when you dip the dates into the melted chocolate. Leave one end of the toothpick long so they're easy to remove.
6. Place the chocolate chips and coconut oil into a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave in 30-second increments, carefully removing and stirring each time, until the chocolate is completely smooth (no lumps!)
7. Hold each date by the longer toothpick end and dip them one-by-one into the melted chocolate. Use a spoon to scoop chocolate over each date until coated in chocolate. Allow excess chocolate to drip off over the bowl, then place back onto the baking sheet.
8. Sprinkle dates with flaky sea salt or festive sprinkles (the ones I used are Nomeca Holiday Pink Hearts from Amazon).
9. Carefully remove toothpicks (I used a small spoon for leverage).
10. Place baking sheet into the refrigerator for at least one hour, until chocolate hardens.
11. Dates stay fresh for up to a week in an airtight container in the refrigerator.