How to Make Chocolate Dates at Home: 4 Easy Fillings

Chocolate dates are the easiest fancy dessert you can make at home: pit a soft date, fill it, dip it in chocolate. We stuff every one of ours by hand in our Lahore kitchen, and this is the home version we would teach a friend, with four fillings, including the kunafa pistachio everyone keeps asking about.

Stuffing dates by hand in our Lahore kitchen

Quick recipe card

• Makes: 12 chocolate dates
• Time: 25 minutes to fill and dip, 30 minutes to set
• You need: a microwave or a pan of simmering water, a fork, butter paper and some space in the fridge

Ingredients

• 12 large, soft dates, such as Kalmi or Medjool
• 150 g dark, milk or white chocolate, chopped
• 1 tsp coconut oil or any flavourless oil (optional, for a thinner, shinier coat)
• One filling from the list below
• Toppings: crushed pistachio, desiccated coconut, chopped almonds or a pinch of flaky salt

How to make chocolate dates

1. Pit the dates. Make one slit down the length of each date with a small knife, pull out the seed and keep the date in one piece.
2. Fill them. Press in your filling and pinch the date closed around it. Don't overfill, or the filling will squeeze out while you dip.
3. Chill for 10 minutes. Cold, firm dates are easier to dip, and the chocolate sets faster on them.
4. Melt the chocolate. Microwave it in 20-second bursts, stirring each time, until about three quarters has melted, then keep stirring until smooth. Or melt it in a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir in the oil if you are using it. Keep water well away: even a drop makes chocolate thick and grainy.
5. Dip. Drop a date into the chocolate, turn it with a fork, lift it out and tap the fork on the side of the bowl so the extra drips off. Slide it onto butter paper.
6. Top and set. Sprinkle on your topping while the chocolate is still wet, then chill for 20 to 30 minutes until firm.

Kunafa and pistachio inside, milk chocolate outside

4 fillings to try

1. Kunafa pistachio

The one everyone wants. Chop 40 g of kunafa dough (kataifi) and toast it in 1 tablespoon of butter or ghee on a low flame for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring, until golden and crisp. Let it cool, then mix it with 4 tablespoons of pistachio cream. No pistachio cream? Grind 60 g of pistachios with 2 tablespoons of condensed milk into a thick paste. Can't find kunafa dough? Fine seviyan (vermicelli), toasted in ghee the same way, gives a similar crunch: a very desi shortcut. Dip these in milk chocolate and finish with crushed pistachio.

2. Peanut butter

Spoon about a teaspoon of peanut butter into each date, press in half a walnut or a few roasted peanuts, and freeze the dates for 10 minutes before dipping so the filling holds its shape. Milk chocolate and a pinch of salt on top make them sweet, salty and crunchy at once.

3. Almond (badam wali khajoor)

A whole roasted almond in every date, dipped in dark chocolate. The classic, and the lightest of the four. The full method is in our badam wali khajoor recipe.

Almond inside, dark chocolate outside: badam wali khajoor, dressed up

4. Coconut almond

Mix 3 tablespoons of desiccated coconut with a tablespoon of condensed milk. Stuff each date with an almond and a little of the coconut mix, dip it in milk chocolate, and roll it in more coconut while the chocolate is wet.

Our Paan-tastic and Cookies & Cream recipes stay in our kitchen, but you can taste all six of our flavours in one Snack Box.

Tips for glossy, neat chocolate dates

• Pick soft dates. Dry dates split when you stuff them. We use Kalmi because it holds a filling without breaking; Medjool is the easiest of all because it is so big. More on both in khajoor types in Pakistan.
• Keep everything dry. A wet spoon, bowl or hand is enough to make melted chocolate seize.
• Don't overheat it. Melted chocolate should feel just warm when you touch a drop to your lip, not hot. Burnt chocolate turns thick and dull.
• Real chocolate or cooking chocolate? Real chocolate tastes better but softens in the heat, and untempered chocolate can set with harmless white streaks. Compound or "cooking" chocolate sets hard and shiny without tempering but tastes less rich. Either way, keep the dates in the fridge in summer.
• Double dip for a thick shell. Let the first coat set in the fridge, then dip again.

How long do homemade chocolate dates last?

In an airtight box in the fridge, almond, coconut and peanut butter dates keep for about two weeks. Kunafa loses its crunch after three or four days, so eat those first. Chocolate softens above about 20°C, so in summer keep them chilled and take them out ten minutes before serving.

No time to make them?

Pitting, filling and dipping twelve dates neatly takes practice, and a lot of patience with melted chocolate. Our chocolate dates are stuffed by hand in Lahore in six flavours and delivered across Pakistan with cash on delivery. Kunafa Pistachio is our best seller, and a Snack Box of 12 starts at Rs 1,350. See every box and price.

Quick answers

Which dates are best for chocolate dates?
Large, soft dates such as Kalmi or Medjool. They are easy to pit and stuff, and big enough to hold a filling.

Can I make chocolate dates without a microwave?
Yes. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, stirring, and don't let the bowl touch the water.

Why did my chocolate go thick and lumpy?
Water or steam got into it, or it got too hot. Start again with fresh chocolate; the seized batch can still go into brownies.

How do you make kunafa dates?
Toast kunafa dough in butter or ghee until golden, mix it with pistachio cream, stuff it into soft dates and dip them in milk chocolate. The full method is above.

How many calories are in a chocolate date?
Roughly 70 to 190, depending on the date, the filling and the chocolate. Ours range from about 70 for Dark Chocolate Almond to about 188 for Peanut Butter Walnut. More in khajoor calories.

Can I give homemade chocolate dates as a gift?
Yes: pack them in paper cups in a box and keep them cold until you hand them over. Making them for a big event? Our gift boxes and Mini Boxes save you an evening of dipping.