Energy Bar–Stuffed Dates

They're draped in dark chocolate. Plus a reminder for tomorrow's Recipe Writing Workshop.

If you haven’t noticed, dates are a constant in my cooking. I love them in slaw, in tofu skillets, in gluten-free crackers, in veggie burgers, in phyllo pies, and as an easy appetizer, broiled with a tender nugget of halloumi cheese tucked inside.

I also love them for a quick burst of energy, such as in homemade energy squares, but right out of the container as I’m rushing out the door, too. If there’s time, I’ll shove a little nut butter or cheese into the cavity.

So as an obvious fan of “date snickers” — where a date is stuffed with peanut butter and dipped in dark chocolate — I started to think about how I might incorporate a more energy-bar like filling into a date cavity. That led to today’s recipe, which I think is a real gem for summer snacking.

The advantage of this is that unlike energy bars and granola bars, in this case the date is a vessel, lending structural support. The filling can crumble a bit — the date is there to catch it. This means much less fuss over binding the mixture, a part of every granola bar recipe that usually requires extra sugar of some sort.

Additionally, like granola and granola bars, these stuffed dates are incredibly flexible. My recipe uses chia seeds, hemp hearts, and cacao nibs — things I love and happen to have on hand from recent cooking projects — but you can omit or replace them to match what’s in your pantry.

Mimicking the date snickers, I tried dunking them in chocolate, but even for a chocolate lover like me, that was too much. Instead, after they’re stuffed, I spoon a little melted chocolate over the top. This seals in the filling and makes them a teeny bit desserty. If you wanted to use less chocolate, you could drizzle it over them, too.

A sprinkling of hemp hearts helps to to dispel the full-on dessert associations and to hammer in the point: This is a functional food! But it’s a delicious treat, regardless of how you want to approach it.

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For paid subscribers joining in on tomorrow’s recipe writing workshop, I just sent out the Zoom link and workshop packet. Check your email! If you’re interested, it’s not too late to join — you can sign up here: