Stuffed Dates GF, DF & Paleo

Hello there!

Chewy, creamy stuffed medjool dates – Perfect for indulging in at Christmas

This is a recipe post for stuffed dates, dairy free, gluten free and paleo which are perfect for Christmas treats, would make an amazing home made Christmas gift or could even be made at Easter for a fabulous alternative to chocolate eggs. It is paleo, gluten free, dairy free and free from refined sugar. As it is made with dates, its (sadly) not low carb but I will look at adding in the nutritional information so that those of you tracking carbs can work out whether its something you can allow as a treat.

Its been a while . . .

I should mention that if you are reading this in current time, then it is just THREE days before Christmas (2018) -eeeeeekkkkk! I am officially sorted, with presents picked and wrapped, food delivered and ready for the big day and nothing left to do but watch cheesy Christmas films and get into the Christmas spirit.
Its been quite some time since I have posted on my blog and I apologise to those who have been left wondering where I have been. To summarise, last Christmas my mum had a serious heart attack, leaving her with Hypoxia (a form of brain damage/ injury) and in the new year (Jan 2018) my grandfather passed away. This was followed by my husband and I moving house (over 65 miles from where we had been living) and the impact it had upon my health. As a result (and a broken computer!) I have taken some time away from my blog to just focus on my life. However, I have continued using Instagram, sharing various stories and information, so if you want to keep up to date with my goings on, I recommend you follow me on there as I share all sorts of things from food finds (shop bought foods that are clean or free from) to tips that can be beneficial to those of you with chronic health issues.
Although i am posting this recipe now, I actually made some of these last year for a Christmas treat and loved them. Even family and friends who had been unsure (as they said they were not big ‘date’ fans) said that they loved them. They are very much like toffees or caramels in a box of chocolates (for those of you who are American you would call them Candies), they taste very moreish!

Storage, sourcing ingredients and Swaps

The version photographed is made with peanuts but it is possible to swap them for seed butter, coconut butter or even tigernut butter making it nut free (I have made them using almond butter and hazelnut butter). You can chose to coat them in chocolate or leave them as they are once you have stuffed them. I used 70% chocolate from the shop but you could easily make your own chocolate.
If you find it difficult to find medjool dates you can try using smaller dates, which I have also tried but the texture and taste isn’t as great. Medjool dates are squishy, soft and give them that caramel taste. I buy my dates from Ocado or Waitrose and in the past have frozen them as it keeps them for longer.
For storage, I recommend keeping the dates in the fridge once made as it adds to the texture (as it makes the chocolate snap and the nut butter filling a little harder and the date more chewy). You can eat them at room temperature but serving chilled is my personal opinion.anretxE

Useful Websites

For home made chocolate recipes check out Tabithas Edit (previously Tabithas kitchen) and for nut butter recipes check out The Nourished Coeliac.
If you decide to give these a go, please let me know how you get on and what your thoughts are!

For those of you who are reading this in current time – Merry Christmas and I wish you health and happiness for 2019!
Peace out
Emma x

Stuffed Dates

Print Recipe

Stuffed medjool dates with a creamy nutty filling, coated in dark chocolate. Can be made nut free too! Dairy free, gluten free, sugar free, egg free.

CourseSweets

Servings | Prep Time
16 Dates | 20

Passive Time
1 hour

Servings | Prep Time
16 Dates | 20

Passive Time
1 hour

Stuffed Dates

Print Recipe

Stuffed medjool dates with a creamy nutty filling, coated in dark chocolate. Can be made nut free too! Dairy free, gluten free, sugar free, egg free.

CourseSweets

Servings | Prep Time
16 Dates | 20

Passive Time
1 hour

Servings | Prep Time
16 Dates | 20

Passive Time
1 hour

Ingredients

16 medjool dates

1/2 cup Nut Butter (See notes for alternatives)

1 tbsp Vanilla

1/2 cup Desiccated coconut

1 + 1/2 70% dark chocolate

1 tbsp Coconut oil melted

Servings: Dates

Instructions

Making the Stuffing

To make the stuffing you need to place the desiccated coconut (you can use flaked coconut too), into a blender and blitz until it becomes a paste.

Once the coconut is paste like, add in the nut butter, vanilla and coconut oil (melted) and blitz until combined

Using a knife, carefully cut open (but not completely in half) the medjool dates removing any stones or pips. (The dates should be able to open an close like a book).

Line a tray or plate with some foil or a silicon mat and place the medjool dates on to it.

Take one date at a time and using a teaspoon, scoop some of the mixture and stuff it into the middle of the date. Place back onto the plate/ tray and continue until all of the dates are filled.

Place the dates in the fridge to chill while you melt the chocolate (or make the chocolate if you are making your own)

Coating the Dates

If you are using chocolate bought from the shop, you need to melt it to coat the dates with. To do this fill a saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Once it is boiling turn the heat as low as it will go and place a dish over the pan (the dish should be just a little bigger than the pan so that it sits above the water line).

Break the chocolate into squares and place into the dish, stirring occasionally to help melt the chocolate

Once the chocolate is melted, turn of the heat and then taking one date at a time, coat them in chocolate. It helps to use either toothpicks or two forks to roll the dates in the chocolate and then fish them out, placing back onto the plate or tray for them to set.

Once all the dates have been coated, place them back into the fridge to chill. They should set in about 30- 40 minutes.

For decoration purposes you can always drizzle some left over chocolate onto the dates once they have cooled. I did this using 80% chocolate.

Keep in the fridge for up to 5 days (they can last longer), or freeze them. I freeze batches and take out what i want to eat, each day.Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

You can make homemade chocolate if you don't want to use shop bought. Its fairly easy to make, here is a link to a simple recipe on Tabithas Edit (previously Tabithas Kitchen).

You can use desiccated coconut or flaked coconut - I have used both kinds when making this recipe and both work well.

Nuts, seeds or other - If you don't like or can't use nuts then seed butter is a great substitute, however for those who can't use seeds either try using tigernut butter. Idont know if its available to buy, but i have made my own. To find out how to make it, try Emma's recipe on her blog The Nourished Coeliac.

To coat or not to coat?
You can chose not to coat your dates and leave them plain. They still taste really nice, the chocolate just adds a bit of luxury making them feel more like a 'treat'.