Whoa. That’s all I have to say about these babes.
The inspiration for these Tahini-Stuffed Dates came from two places:
1) A local restaurant
2) My 5-ingredient Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Snowballs from the March Bonus Recipe (viewed only by email subscribers!)
Get your taste buds ready. We’re going for a ride.
Inspiration struck after trying Wolf & Bear’s “bunny balls,” which are essentially a date truffle with tahini and cacao powder. (Learn more about the origin of tahini and how to make it here!)
Because the flavors weren’t as pronounced as I’d like, I decided to deconstruct them. I kept the dates whole, stuffed each one with as much tahini as possible (almost 1 teaspoon each!), and then dunked them in my Easy Vegan Chocolate, which is naturally sweetened to taste and absolutely perfect for these tahini bombs.
I just like saying tahini bombs. Can you tell?
If you’re intimidated by making chocolate, don’t be. If I can do it, you can do it.
It does require cocoa butter, which is super easy to work with and also featured in my White Chocolate Lemon Cheesecakes, Easy Vegan Chocolate, and Raw Double Chocolate Macaroons. What I’m saying is: Invest in a block and it won’t go to waste around here (wink wink).
Not to worry if you can’t procure cocoa butter though – I include a workaround in the notes.
These dates require just 8 ingredients and about 30 minutes to make. They’re ready to enjoy right away, or can be frozen or refrigerated to keep fresh up to 1 month. In other words, a little effort for a lot of reward.
I think you guys are going to FLIP over these tahini dates! They’re:
Rich
Tender
Decadent (yet healthy)
Naturally sweetened
Loaded with tahini
Super chocolaty
Caramel-y
& My new favorite thing
These would make the perfect dessert for summer get-togethers, dinner parties, or hosting events. They also make fun gifts! Edible gifts are the best gifts in my opinion.
If you try this recipe, let us know what you think! We love your comments, ratings, and especially your photos tagged #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Tahini-Stuffed Dates (AKA Tahini Bombs!)
A decadent yet healthy 30-minute vegan dessert! Fresh dates stuffed with tahini, dipped in DIY 4-ingredient chocolate, and sprinkled with coconut and sesame seeds. Print SAVE SAVED
from votes Prep Time 25 minutes Cook Time 5 minutes Total Time 30 minutes Servings 25 (stuffed dates)Course DessertCuisine Gluten-Free, Middle Eastern-Inspired, VeganFreezer Friendly 1 monthDoes it keep? 1 Week
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Ingredients
US Customary – Metric
CHOCOLATE*
1 1/4 cup finely chopped cocoa butter*2 heaping Tbsp coconut oil2 Tbsp maple syrup1 cup cacao or unsweetened cocoa powder
DATES
25 whole medjool dates4 Tbsp tahini (divided // from raw or roasted sesame seeds)1 pinch sea salt2 Tbsp unsweetened desiccated coconut flake or sesame seeds
Instructions
Add 2 inches of water to a medium saucepan and bring to a rolling simmer over medium-high heat. Then reduce heat to medium and set a medium glass or ceramic mixing bowl on top, making sure it’s not touching the water (this creates a “double boiler”).To the mixing bowl, add finely chopped cocoa butter and coconut oil and let melt, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon or whisk – about 2-3 minutes.Once melted, carefully remove bowl from heat (turn off stove top) and add the maple syrup and cacao or cocoa powder. Use a whisk or wooden spoon to mix until fluid and thoroughly combined.Taste and adjust flavor as needed. I added about 2 Tablespoons maple syrup total (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size), but it’s completely up to how sweet you prefer your chocolate.Because the chocolate is quite thin at this point, set in the refrigerator to chill and slightly thicken and make dipping the dates easier – about 15-20 minutes total, removing to stir/whisk occasionally. You’ll know it’s ready when it’s more like pourable hot fudge than melted coconut oil.Next, carefully remove pits from dates and be careful to keep one side of the date intact, as opposed to splitting it into two separate pieces. You’re trying to create a small crevice in the date (see photo) so it’s easy to add/contain the tahini. Once pitted, fill with tahini – about 1/2 – 1 tsp depending on size of date.Add dates to a parchment-lined baking sheet and pop in freezer to chill while chocolate thickens.Once chocolate has thickened (if it got too thick, briefly microwave or set back over the double boiler to thin), add one date at a time and flip with a slotted spoon or fork to fully coat, then tap off any excess chocolate. Set back on the parchment baking sheet and immediately sprinkle with a little sea salt and either sesame seeds or coconut. Repeat until all dates are coated.Enjoy immediately. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for 1 week or the freezer for 1 month. Let come to room temperature before enjoying for best flavor/texture.
Notes
*If you don’t have cocoa butter, simply sub all of the ingredients for 1 1/4 cup (150 g) chopped dark vegan chocolate + 1 Tbsp (15 g) coconut oil (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size) and melt in the microwave in 30 second increments or over a double boiler on the stovetop. No need to refrigerate – it will already be thick enough for dipping as is.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated using all of the tahini and chocolate.
Nutrition (1 of 25 servings)
Serving: 1 stuffed dates Calories: 141 Carbohydrates: 9.7 g Protein: 1.3 g Fat: 11.9 g Saturated Fat: 7 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 15 mg Fiber: 2.1 g Sugar: 6.1 g