Pecans and dates are a delicious combination on their own, perfect for a pre- or post-workout snack, and with just three extra ingredients they get extra decadent. Coating the pecans in a vanilla maple sauce then drizzling dark chocolate over the stuffed dates transforms them into a treat. My mom has a bit of of a cookie monster side but one of these are enough to suppress her cravings and make her feel full. The dates are a good source of fiber as well as several vitamins and minerals. They are soft, chewy and as close as you can get to a caramel-like taste and texture without using heavy cream. The pecans add some rich, buttery flavour and crunchy texture, along with healthy fats and protein.
The difference between healthy treats based on nutrient dense, whole food ingredients and traditional treats like cookies and pastries is in how they affect our bodies. While items like these dates still have significant amounts of sugars, they are in their natural state, accompanied by nutrients that make them a usable asset to the body. The addition of fiber, healthy fats and protein helps maintain blood sugar and energy levels and the vitamins and minerals help keep the body functioning well. Alternatively, treats with lower quality, more processed ingredients just don’t have much to offer. They usually feature refined products like white sugar and flour, which have been stripped of their fiber, vitamins and minerals. Commercial options often have lots of preservatives and poor quality fats like hydrogenated oils to improve shelf life and make them taste good. All these ingredients have undergone some kind of transformation and become harder on our bodies in the process. Not only do they not have the nutrients we need, but they have items that we do not, which puts more stress on the body to detoxify and eliminate. The body has to work harder to maintain a balanced state and when necessary it will go wherever it needs to get the nutrients it needs. In the case of excess refined sugars, which are very acidic, it will have to pull some calcium from the bones to maintain the pH balance of the blood. In time, nutrient deficient food can lead to nutrient deficient and even malnourished people.
- 24 Medjool dates
- 24 pecans
- ½ - 1 80-100 g bar dark chocolate
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Combine the maple syrup, vanilla and pecans in a small bowl, stirring to combine until the pecans are all evenly coated. Make a small cut in one side at one end of each date to remove and discard the pit. Stuff a pecan in each date, making sure to take some maple mixture with each nut, then pinch the date back together where the incision was. Place all the dates side by side on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Break up the chocolate and melt it in a double steamer. Use a spoon or spatula to drip it over the dates in diagonal lines until all used up. Place in the fridge for around 20-30 minutes to harden the chocolate back up. These will stay for a few weeks in an airtight container in the fridge or for a couple months in the freezer.
I used a full 100 g dark chocolate bar for these but half, or even quarter, of a bar would be enough to get that chocolatey effect.