Date Snickers

You could, of course, make and eat these any time of year. But for me, dates are inextricably linked to holidays, and particularly to Christmas. Date Snickers are an especially great little trick to have up your sleeve if you’re expecting vegan guests. I find that a lot of vegan desserts and sweetmeats can be a bit dull and uninspired, but not these. They really do taste like little Snickers bars… or dare I say it – even better?

What Are Date Snickers?

I first saw these, or something very like them, doing the rounds a year or so ago and mentally bookmarked them as something to come back to. They are bite-sized homemade sweets, made from peanuts, dates, and chocolate. The soft, sweet dates mimic the nougat in the candy bars, and when you add in the peanuts and chocolate as well, they really do taste like Snickers bars.

There’s no cooking involved, so they’re super-easy to make (although, full disclosure, it can get a little messy!). If you have kids who like to help out in the kitchen, this is a great recipe to set them loose on as well. It’s all about stuffing peanut butter into dates and dipping in melted chocolate. Little fingers might actually be MORE dextrous at doing the job – and they’ll certainly be licked clean along the way!

How to Make Date Snickers

The simplest of ingredients: just dates, peanut butter, chocolate, and some crushed peanuts. However, there are a couple of things to say about the types you choose. Firstly, if you can find them, Medjool dates are the best ones to use. They’re softer and sweeter than other varieties, and also larger, which makes it a bit easier to fill them. Secondly, choose the darkest most bitter chocolate you can find, otherwise you will find them overpoweringly sweet. Even though there’s no added sugar, dates have a naturally high sugar content. You need a bitter chocolate to counteract the sweetness. Plus if you want to keep them vegan, you need to steer clear of milk chocolate anyway.

Start off by stoning the dates. Cut a vertical slit in each one and remove the stone. This isn’t a fiddly job like stoning olives or cherries; dates are much easier. The stones slip right out with no problem. Press lightly on the ends of the dates to open them up a little and create a pocket.

Next, you want to fill that pocket with peanut butter. You’ll need about half a teaspoon of peanut butter per date. Just use a small spoon insert it into the date and scrape off the peanut butter inside. Squeeze the dates closed slightly, so that the peanut butter is contained.

Final step: let’s dip them in the melted chocolate. If you have a microwave, this is the easiest method for melting the chocolate. If not, set the bowl of chocolate over (but not touching) a pan of simmering water. Spike a date with a toothpick and dip it completely in the melted chocolate. Let the excess drip back into the bowl, then transfer to a sheet of parchment paper or a silicon baking mat and sprinkle with the crushed peanuts. Repeat with the remaining dates, then transfer to the fridge to let the chocolate set and harden.

Storing Date Snickers

Unless your home is very cold, I recommend storing them in the fridge. Once the chocolate has hardened, you can put them into an airtight container and they keep very well, for at least a week, and probably much longer. Then you can whip out your date snickers whenever you have a vegan call round unexpectedly!

And more…

Looking for more no-bake desserts and sweet things? Try one of these:

• Healthy No-Bake Chocolate Energy Bite
• No-Bake Chocolate Oreo Rum Balls
• Chocolate Salami
• No-Bake Chocolate Truffle Cake
• Homemade Dark Chocolate Hummus
• Orange Chocolate Date Protein Balls

Conclusion

Vegans for Christmas? Problem solved. Now you know exactly what to make them as petit fours or even dessert. You might want to make a few extra as well, because Date Snickers are so delicious that all the meat eaters will be jealous and want to have some too! What’s your favorite vegan holiday food that I should try next?