It’s festive season, so it seemed a good time to share a tasty sweet treat that’s also pretty healthy and perfect for spreads and parties…
INGREDIENTS
Dark chocolate (70% minimum)
Medjool dates (check where they’re sourced!)
Pistachio cream / butter (you can also use cashew butter if you can’t find this)
Shelled pistachios (pre-roasted or lightly toast in a pan over a low heat for 5 mins until fragrant)
Flaky salt
TIPS & NOTES
This is an easy dessert recipe, so I don’t want to over-complicate it, but ideally the melted chocolate should be around 31C before you use it so it’s ‘tempered’ correctly an doesn’t crystallise when it sets. I personally check this with a food thermometer and stir occasionally as it cools. If you want to speed this up: pour the hot water out of your pan and replace with very cold water and put the bowl over it again as you stir.
In terms of nutrition; you can obviously argue that dates are calorific (it’s true), however honestly, this is an actually filling dessert. I can eat half a bar of Tony’s (no shade, I love it at this time of year) and it barely register, whereas 1 or 2 of these actually feels like I ate something. You’re also getting protein, fibre, magnesium, iron and flavonoids!
Double Pistachio Stuffed Chocolate Dates
A healthier but still indulgent sweet treat
Ingredients
-
*
100g of dark chocolate
- 15 Medjool dates
- 30g toasted pistachio nuts (see notes if you have raw nuts) (roughly chopped)
- 30g of pistachio cream or butter
- A couple of pinches of flaky salt
Directions
- Boil the kettle
- Cut the dates shallowly, so you aren’t cutting them in half but can remove the seed
- Add the boiled water to a saucepan, bring to a rolling boil and then reduce to a simmer, add a bowl over the top of it and add the dark chocolate to the bowl – allow to melt over 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally
- Let the chocolate cool slightly (ideally to c.31C) and whilst it does, fill one side of each date with the chopped nuts and the other with a little of the pistachio cream and gently push the date closed again
- Line a sheet pan with greaseproof paper
- Using a pair of tongs, dip the dates into the dark chocolate one by one and place them on the tray
- Sprinkle the flaky salt over the dates, along with any remaining bits of pistachio on your chopping board
- Chill in the fridge for 1 hour until they set, then enjoy
Let me know if you try this stuffed chocolate nut date recipe!
But First, Food 
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