My 5-ingredient Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Snowballs from the Bonus Recipe. (Viewable only to email subscribers!)
Wolf & Bear’s “bunny ball” inspired me. It’s essentially a chocolate truffle with tahini. Learn more about tahini’s origin and how to prepare it.
The flavors were not as strong as I would have liked, so I decided to break them down. I stuffed the dates with as much tahini (almost one teaspoon per date) as I could. Then I dipped them in my easy vegan chocolate, which is sweetened naturally to taste.
Don’t be intimidated if you are afraid to make chocolate. If I can do it, you can do it.
This recipe does call for cocoa Butter. It is easy to use and featured in my White Chocolate Lemon Cheesecakes, Easy vegan chocolate, and Double Chocolate Macaroons. It’s a good idea to buy a large block of chocolate.
Making these dates is easy, only requiring eight ingredients and 30 minutes. These dates are ready to eat right away, or they can be frozen and kept fresh for up to a month. It’s a small effort that yields a big reward.
Ingredients
CHOCOLATE
- 1 1/4 cups finely chopped Cocoa Butter*
- Coconut oil two tablespoons
- Maple syrup 2 Tbsp
- 1 cup cacao powder or cocoa powder without sugar
DATES
- 25 Whole Medjool Dates
- Tahini 4 Tbsp (divided from raw or roasted sesame seeds)
- Sea salt, one pinch
- Use 2 tbsp of desiccated coconut or sesame seeds, unsweetened.
Instructions
- Add 2 inches of hot water to a medium pan and heat to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and place a glass or ceramic bowl on top. Make sure the mixing bowl is not touching water.
- Add finely chopped coconut oil and cocoa butter to the mixing bowl and melt. Stir occasionally with a wooden whisk or spoon.
- After the bowl has melted (turn off the stovetop), add maple syrup and cocoa or cacao powder. Mix with a wooden spoon or a whisk until the mixture is fluid.
- Adjust flavor to taste. I added 2 Tablespoons of maple syrup (amount written in original recipe // adjust for batch size), but you can add more or less depending on how sweet your chocolate is.
- Set the chocolate in the fridge to slightly thicken it and to make it easier to dip the dates. This should take about 15-20 minutes. Stir/whisk the chocolate now and then. When it becomes more liquid than coconut oil, it is ready.
- Then, remove the pits and keep one side intact. Do not split it in two. Create a small aperture (see photo) in the date to make it easier to add/contain tahini. Fill the pitted date with tahini. The amount will vary depending on the size of the date.
- Add dates to the baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place in the freezer while the chocolate thickens.
- Add one date at a time and coat with a fork or slotted spoon. Tap off excess chocolate. Sprinkle a bit of sea salt, sesame seeds, or coconut on top and place back onto the parchment paper. Repeat until all the dates are covered.
- Enjoy immediately. Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Allow food to reach room temperature for the best texture and flavor.
