Decadent AND healthy? These almond joy dates tick all the boxes. Plump, caramelly dates are stuffed with chewy coconut, dipped in melted dark chocolate, then crowned with a crunchy almond and sprinkling of sea salt. Healthy never tasted so special!
Ingredients
½cupunsweetened fine shredded coconut
1tablespooncoconut oil
1tablespoonhoney, maple syrup for vegan
30pitted dates
½cuphigh-quality chopped dark chocolate, see notes
Optional: 1 tablespoon coconut oil, only use this if you don't have high-quality chocolate
30almonds
Instructions
In a small bowl, mix the shredded coconut with the coconut oil and honey or maple syrup.
½ cup unsweetened fine shredded coconut, 1 tablespoon coconut oil, 1 tablespoon honey
Carefully open one date. You don't want to pull the date completely apart. Stuff the date with some of the shredded coconut then squeeze it closed. Repeat with the remaining dates.
30 pitted dates
Place the chocolate in a small pan over low heat and let it melt. Don't rush this step as you don't want to burn the chocolate. If you're using chocolate chips, add the coconut oil to the pan. When the chocolate has melted, remove it from the heat.
½ cup high-quality chopped dark chocolate, Optional: 1 tablespoon coconut oil
Working with one stuffed date at a time, dip the date in the chocolate. You can use a spoon to pour the chocolate over the date. Set the date on a parchment lined plate and put an almond on top. Repeat with the remaining dates. Let the chocolate set a little then sprinkle some flaky sea salt over top.
30 almonds
Notes
Quality chocolate is really expensive. To make dipping chocolate that won't cost you a fortune, use dark chocolate chips or baker's chocolate and add a tablespoon of coconut oil when you're melting it. If you add the coconut oil to your chocolate you will need to store these in the fridge as the chocolate will be too soft at room temperature.