Ramadan: Day 11 - Chocolate Covered Dates

Today is Ramadan Activity Time!

One day, while we were living in Istanbul, Feraz came home with chocolate covered dates and our lives were forever changed. We knew we loved dates. We knew we loved chocolate. But somehow we never thought of the two together. Simply put, it was one of the best things we had ever eaten.

I had been craving these dates lately and since I couldn't find them anywhere, I decided to try making them. It was super easy and the result was even better than the dates we had in Turkey. I think these would be a great dessert if you were hosting an iftaar or going to someones house for one. They could also make great Eid gifts, if they were wrapped up in small candy boxes.

Step 1: Gather you ingredients and supplies.

20 dates

20 almonds

1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips

olive oil

shredded coconut, crushed walnuts or whatever other toppings you might like

1 skewer

cookie sheet

wax paper

Step 2: Prepare the Dates

Take the pits out of the dates.

Stuff the dates with the almonds (or any other nut of your choice).

I also rolled these dates in my hands so they would be nice and even so I could better coat the chocolate.

Step 3: Prepare the Chocolate

I didn't measure when I made these but I filled my bowl up half way with chocolate chips and then drizzled olive oil over the top so it would be about half covered.

I put the bowl in the microwave for 40 seconds. Took it out and stirred the chocolate until it started to cool.

Then I put it back in the microwave for 20 more seconds and then mixed again when I pulled it out.

You can experiment with this step depending on the strength of your microwave but don't overheat because burned chocolate is disgusting!

On my first try, the chocolate came out too runny as you can see by the picture below! (These dates still tasted delicious.)

I simply added some more chocolate chips and put the bowl back in the microwave for about 15 more second until I got a nice consistency to work with.

Step 4: Dip Those Dates!

I simply poked one end of the date with the skewer and uses it to swirl the date in the chocolate bowl covering it evenly all around. If you hold the bowl to the side and dip at an angle, that helps with the application.  I also held it over the chocolate bowl for a second or two so excess chocolate could drip off.

Then, you can dip into whichever topping you like. Keep your toppings as finally chopped as possible without making them powder for an elegant finish. This time, I didn't think to cut the coconut down but the final product would have looked much cleaner if I had. Finally, lay them on a waxed cookie sheet. After you have done all the dates, put them in the fridge to cool for at least one hour.

They might not look that pretty the first time you make them as you can see above. But a little cooling off later, they come out looking neater and trust me,you'll forget everything about how they look once you take the first bite!

Let me know if you make these with any modifications or have any other tips for the recipe. Happy eating!

May Allah give us all the gift of being able to cook well and the strength to eat our delicious treats in moderatoin. Ameen!