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Craving a sweet treat? You only need 5 ingredients to make a batch of these healthy date snickers. An easy no-bake, gluten-free dessert recipe to satisfy your sweet tooth.
I love having a little sweet treat stocked away in the freezer for after dinner – even better when it’s good for me too! These healthy date snickers have been making the rounds on social media for good reason.
They are easy to make from simple ingredients and they’re delicious. (Mine was inspired by Lindsay Keosayin.) If you haven’t jumped on the bandwagon, this is your chance!
Wondering why these are called snickers? While they don’t taste exactly like the popular candy bar, they do have a lot of similarities to a snickers bar.
The chewy and soft dates mimic the texture of the caramel. While, peanut butter, chocolate, and chopped peanuts bring it all together.
Instead of dipping each stuffed date in chocolate (which you can totally do if you prefer!), we’re smashing them and then topping each one with peanut butter and chocolate. I just find this method way easier and less time consuming than dipping each date in the chocolate and less messy than date bars.
Plus, the end result reminds me of a snickers cookie.
If you have a sweet tooth like me, check out all of my delicious low-calories dessert recipes!
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Table of Contents
Ingredients For Date Snickers Bark Bites
Use these simple and fresh ingredients packed with nutritional value to make this delicious date snickers recipe. Be sure to check out the recipe card for the exact amounts of each ingredient you’ll need.
- Medjool dates: the soft texture and caramel flavor of these dates works well as a healthy swap for caramel in these date snickers.
- Peanut butter: use whatever creamy peanut butter you like for these. A thin/runny peanut butter (like a stirred natural peanut butter) is easiest to use for drizzling on top of the dates. You can also pop your peanut butter into the microwave for a few seconds to thin it out if needed. Crunchy peanut butter works too if that’s all you have on hand.
- Chocolate chips: pick up either dark chocolate chips or a bar of dark chocolate for these date snickers. I really like the combination of the sweet date with dark chocolate. You can use milk chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips if that’s what you have on hand. To make these dairy-free, pick up a dairy free or vegan chocolate.
- Peanuts: top your date snickers with some unsalted, roasted peanuts for crunch.
- Flaky sea salt: finish your date snickers with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt (like Maldon). The salt not only looks pretty but it helps balance out the sweet flavors in this healthy dessert.
Variations
Use these simple recipe variations to customize your healthy date snickers treats!
Make snickers date bark: instead of smashing each date individually, line them up closely on a baking sheet and smash under a piece of parchment until they all stick together. Spread the peanut butter and chocolate over top and freeze until hardened. Use a sharp knife to cut into squares.
Use a different nut butter: switch things up by making these with other nut butters instead of peanut butter. Try almond butter, cashew butter, hazelnut butter, sunflower seed butter, granola butter, or a flavored nut butter.
Try white chocolate: for a sweeter treat, use white chocolate instead of dark chocolate for your date snickers.
The Best Dates for Date Snickers
When you are shopping for dates, make sure you pick up a box of Medjool dates. These are the best dates for date snickers! This variety of dates are larger, softer, sweeter, and have a better flavor than other date varieties.
You want a soft date so that they squish well for making these snickers.
How to Make Date Snickers
This healthy date snickers bark bites recipe is simple to put together in a few steps.
Prep the Dates: Pit dates if not already pitted, and slice down the middle (but not all the way through) so you can open them up.
Smash the Dates: Add parchment paper to a small baking sheet (be sure it will fit in your freezer). Open each date slightly and space them evenly on the parchment paper. Top with a second piece of parchment and use a glass to smash each date flat.
Top with Peanut Butter and Chocolate: spread about 1 teaspoon of runny peanut butter to the top of each smashed date. Place in the freezer while you melt your chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave or on a double boiler on the stovetop. Take dates back out of the freezer and add a dollop of melted chocolate on top.
Garnish and Chill: Sprinkle with crushed peanuts and flakey salt. Place back in the freezer for 20-30 minutes or until the chocolate has hardened.
Store: Enjoy immediately or store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
How to Pit Dates Easily
If you’ve never had dates before, you’ll need to make sure that you remove the pit from the center before you make these date snickers.
To remove the pit, use a paring knife to cut the date in half lengthwise. (As you cut into the date, you’ll run into the pit.) Cut in half only on the one side – just enough to be able to remove the pit and create a pocket for the nut butter.
Repeat until you’ve removed the pit from each of your dates. If you’d rather, you can purchase pitted dates and just partially slice open so that it can flatten.
How to Melt Chocolate for Date Snickers
There are a couple of different ways you can melt the chocolate for these date snickers:
Microwave: add your chocolate chips or chopped chocolate bar to a small microwave safe bowl and microwave in 30 second increments to melt the chocolate.
Stovetop: add your chocolate to a glass bowl fitted over a saucepan with 1 inch of water. Heat until water starts to boil – stir chocolate until it melts completely.
Tools You’ll Need
- Paring knife
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Measuring cups
How to Store Date Snickers
Store your date snickers in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. (It’s best to keep them chilled or else the peanut butter and chocolate start to melt.) If you need to layer them, put a piece of parchment paper in between so they don’t stick together.
You can keep them stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or the freezer for up to 3 months. I enjoy them straight from the fridge or freezer – no need to warm them up!
How Many Calories in Date Snickers?
This recipe makes 10 stuffed dates and each date is just 125 calories. What’s more, these snickers dates are rich in healthy fats and antioxidants. Medjooll dates offer plenty of nutrients like potassium, magnesium, and vitamin B6.
Healthy Date Snickers Dessert
Equipment
- Paring knife
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Measuring cups
Ingredients
- 10 Medjool dates
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips, melted
- ¼ cup chopped peanuts
- Flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Pit dates if not already pitted, and slice down the middle (but not all the way through) so you can open them up.
- Add parchment paper to a small baking sheet (be sure it will fit in your freezer). Open each date slightly and space them evenly on the parchment paper. Top with a second piece of parchment and use a glass to smash each date flat.
- Spread about 1 teaspoon of runny peanut butter to the top of each smashed date. Place in the freezer while you melt your chocolate in the microwave or on a double boiler on the stovetop. Take dates back out of the freezer and add a dollop of melted chocolate on top.
- Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and flakey salt. Place back in the freezer for 20-30 minutes or until the chocolate has hardened.
- Enjoy immediately or store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
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