These date "Snickers" bars are dark chocolate coated peanut butter stuffed dates that taste just like a Snickers bar! This idea has gone viral on TikTok, and they're perfect if you're looking for a sweet treat that's a bit healthier than a regular candy bar.
I make these bars with dark chocolate, and add a touch of flaky sea salt on top to make them a little more "grown up", but you can use whatever kind of chocolate you prefer! If you're making these for kids, milk chocolate may be a better option.
FAQ
What are dates?
Dates are a tropical fruit that come from date palm trees. They have a sweet, caramel like taste. They are typically sold partially dried, and packages should be refrigerated after opening.
Are date fruits healthy?
Dates are packed with lots of good stuff like vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber. They are also high in sugar, which is why they taste so good, but they are so much healthier than typical candy bar ingredients that don't have any redeeming qualities.
What's in a Snickers bar?
According to their website, Snickers bars contain "milk chocolate, peanuts, corn syrup, sugar, palm oil, skim milk, lactose, salt, egg whites, an artificial flavor". On the other hand, these Date Snickers Bars contain date fruit, dark chocolate, peanuts, peanut butter, and sea salt.
The date fruit mimics both the caramel and nougat portions, offering the sweetness of caramel and the chewy texture of nougat. While peanut butter isn't an ingredient in a normal snickers bar, it really rounds out these Date Snickers and helps them mimic the Snickers taste. As you can probably see from the ingredients lists, these Date Snickers are much healthier than a real Snickers bar.
Key Tips - Date Snickers
Use baker's chocolate!
- I cannot stress this enough, baker's chocolate is so much easier to work with than melting down other types of chocolate like chocolate chips. Other kinds of chocolate may seize up and change texture, bakers chocolate will stay silky smooth when melted. It's worth it to pay a few extra dollars to save this headache!
- I use Ghirardelli 60% cacao bars for this (and all my dark chocolate coating). It melts so well and stays silky seemingly forever when melted. I stock up whenever my grocery store runs a sale on these!
Create a make-shift double boiler if needed.
- Melting chocolate in a double boiler is the most stress-free way to keep your chocolate nice and melted as you work through coating each piece. If you don't have a double boiler, you can make your own by placing a metal mixing bowl over a stockpot. Check out this article for some tips!
Store in the freezer!
- These Date Snickers Bars will stay fresh for months in the freezer, just let them warm up a little bit on the counter before serving.
- I store mine in freezer safe zip bags, between sheets of wax paper.
Make a double batch.
- This recipe makes just 10 bars, so you may want to make a double or triple batch. It's very easy to scale this up, and these bars store great in the freezer!
Dietary Restrictions - Date Snickers
This dish is naturally Vegetarian, Vegan, and Dairy-Free.
- Just make sure you're using chocolate that doesn't contain milk.
A Note On Serving Sizes
I've listed the serving size as one bar, which is 145 calories when made with deglet noor dates. These are a larger than a lot of other similar recipes because they use two dates per bar rather than just one.
Date "Snickers"
Equipment
Ingredients
- 20 pitted dates I use deglet noor dates, but you can sub medjool
- ~2 tablespoon crushed peanuts I chop up whole peanuts
- ~3 tablespoon creamy peanut butter you can use crunchy peanut butter and skip the extra peanuts
- 4 oz dark baker's chocolate I use Ghirardelli 60% cacao
- flaky sea salt optional, for topping
Instructions
- Run a knife down the long side of each date so you can unroll it and lay them out flat. We'll use 2 dates per bar, so pair up dates that are similar sizes.
- Spread about 1 teaspoon of peanut butter on half of the dates, then top with a few pieces of crushed peanuts. Press another date on top, making a little sandwich.
- Place the prepared stuffed dates on a cookie sheet or plate lined with wax paper and set them in the freezer to chill while you prepare the chocolate.
- As the dates chill, prepare simmering water in the lower portion of a double boiler. Chop the chocolate up into pieces and place it in the top of the double boiler. Mix frequently with a small silicon spatula until fully melted.
- Coat each bar in the chocolate, then place it back on the wax paper to cool. At the end, once the chocolate on the bars is partially set, use a spoon to drizzle the remaining chocolate over top for a fancy look. Once all of the chocolate is set, sprinkle some flaky sea salt on top.
- Store finished bars in an airtight container in the fridge for freezer.
Notes
Nutrition
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Aliya says
So insanely rich and delicious but not total junk food!! My coworkers all raved about these when I broght them in to work!