Whenever I came home from college to visit, my mom would make date logs with nuts and coconut for me to take back. They were my favorite go-to healthy treat while studying. I recently went to a friends house for dinner. When I tasted these treats she made for dessert, they not only brought back great memories of my college days, but they took my moms original date logs to another level! The combination of cocoa powder with the dates gave these treats that tempting sweet chewy chocolatey flavor! I knew I had to try making them at home when my son tried one and said to me, “mommy, can I have some more chocolate?” =)
I currently also have a freezer FULL of home-grown Medjool dates. My in-laws live in palm springs and grow huge date palms in their backyard. So every year they get mounds and mounds of dates. Literally…their entire kitchen is stacked full of fresh dates…if you don’t believe me check out the pictures below of dates from their backyard! They freeze really well so we always seem to have them ready to eat. I’m always looking for new ways to use the them in recipes. What’s your favorite recipe with dates?
These treats were adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie. The minor changes I made were to add less vanilla extract and more coconut. After everything is combined, the final product may be a bit oily because of the ground up pecans, but just coat the bars in some shredded coconut and/or stick them in the fridge and the oily feel will go away. Feel free to get creative with shapes…my favorites are bars or round balls. They don’t tend to last two long in my fridge so I’d suggest making 2 batches!
If you are craving “fudge” but want a sugar-free and butter-free version, try these out! They are easy to make and I guarantee you will not be disappointed!
Date-Nut Chocolate “Fudge” (vegan, gluten-free)
INGREDIENTS
- 3/4 cup dates , pitted
- 1/4 teasp pure vanilla extract
- 1/16 teasp salt
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 3 tbsp shredded coconut + extra for coating
- 1/3 cup raw pecans
- 1 tbsp dark chocolate chips
INSTRUCTIONS
- Add all the ingredients in a food processor and blend completely. Be sure to add the cocoa powder first so that when you start the food processor, the cocoa powder does not blow out everywhere.
- Remove the "fudge" and roll into round balls or press into a baking tray and cut into bars.
- (optional) Coat with some shredded coconut or cocoa powder.
- Refrigerate extras in a sealed container.
NOTES
NUTRITION
~ Anjali
Neha
Thanks for the recipe Anjali. Here’s my favorite dessert using dates. You could use an egg replacer to make this vegetarian. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sticky-toffee-date-cake-recipe/index.html
anjali
No problem! And thanks for the date cake recipe…I’m going to have to try it out soon with some egg replacer! It looks delicious!
Caitlyn
This fudge/brownie recipe is awesome! My 3 year old son and husband both love them!!! So jealous of your homegrown date stash 🙂
anjali
Awesome that your 3 yr. old loved it! Great way to give them a healthy treat! Dates are in season again at my in-laws place so I’m planning on making these again tomorrow! =) Thanks for visiting the site!
EmmJ
These are good raw, but even better cut into squares and baked at 150C for 10-15 mins.
anjali
I will have to try that next time! Thanks!
Jo
Your recipe is absolutely amazing. Unfortunately I didnt have shredded coconut so I had to replace the coconut for ground almonds. Turned out just lush. Thank you so much for this recipe. Made my cravings so much easier 🙂
anjali
Thank you!! It really does make cravings easier =) I have a few more fun and easy healthy treats coming to the blog this year! Another fav is the no-bake oatmeal bites! Thanks for trying it out and letting me know.
Pd
Love these!! Tastes like fudge!
Linda
Heres my favorite, 2cups oats, 10 medjoel dates,1 cup peanut butter,half cup honey,halfcup vanilla protein powder pinch of salt, and 1 tsp vanilla.directions process the oats very well. Then add the other ingredientsand process 1 to 2 mins. Place in sprayed 8 in or 9 in pan . Freeze 30 min and then cut into 10 bars. Theses freeze well. Thank you for this recipe i cant wait to dry it.