These little Double Chocolate Date Bites are chocolatey, sweet, crunchy and oh so satisfying! Packed with superfoods, this date squares recipe will soothe your sweet tooth, and chocolate cravings; the perfect grab and go snack. vegan + gluten free
Seems like when I talk to people about dates, they either love em’ or hate em’. More often than not, I get the scrunched up face look when I talk about date recipes. I was a hater when my cousin tried to convince me otherwise. She swore that dates were good in her various concoctions…
…and I scrunched my face and balked. But one beautiful Saturday afternoon, I tried a delectable snack my cousin prepared, similar to these chocolate date bites. I was converted. So I started perusing date recipes.
Perhaps it was fear of more fiber, like after you’ve changed to a plant based diet and begin integrating liberal amounts of beans and greens into your diet. What is that going on in my bowels??!
Quick & Easy Chocolate Date
Nevertheless, I overcame my concern of bloat, and my body adjusted to eating copious amounts of fiber. So I headed her advise and started incorporating natures candy into my repertoire. Now I see dates with wanting eyes and a smile… no more scrunchy face.
You’re going to love these date bites. Really. Even if you’re a bit squeamish, just do it! They’re quick and easy to pull together, heart healthy and did I say SWEET? They accomplish two things; satisfy your sweet tooth AND chocolate cravings.
Ingredients for Date Squares Recipe
With just a few ingredients, these chocolate date bites will be ready in no time! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Walnuts
- Dates
- Raw Cacao Powder
- Almond Flour
- Vanilla Beans or 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Coconut Oil
- Mini Chocolate Chips
How to Make Chocolate Date Bites
Super quick to whip up, here’s how to make them:
- First, line an 8×8 inch pan with parchment paper.
- Second, in a food processor, chop the walnuts. Remove from the bowl and set aside.
- Third, to the food processor, add the pitted and soaked dates, cacao, almond meal, and vanilla beans. Pulse 10 times. Then, with the machine running, add the coconut oil.
- Next, dump ingredients into a clean bowl and add the chopped walnuts and mini chocolate chips. Using your hands, incorporate all the ingredients until the dough is uniformly mixed.
- Last, press the mixture into the prepared pan.
Freeze the chocolate date bites for about 45 minutes, then cut. Store in the refrigerator for several weeks or in the freezer for longer.
Dates are power houses of nutrition because they are packed full of dietary fiber, iron, magnesium, potassium and B vitamins. Also because they are high in vitamin K and A, they protect the eyes and help keep skin healthy.
But dates are not the only superfood in this delicious recipe. There’s also coconut oil, cacao and walnuts.
Cacao is a raw superfood that is truly amazing. It’s different from baking coco powder in that it’s far less processed and retains more nutrients than the baking variety. It has nearly four times the antioxidant power of dark chocolate which is more than 20 times that of blueberries. Essential fatty acids, protein and calcium, among many other nutrients are also present. Eat your chocolate!
A Few Recipe Notes
- Look for Medjool dates to use in this recipe. They’re larger than Deglet Noor and have a richer flavor.
- Dried dates need to be soaked in hot water prior to whipping these up in the food processor. After soaking, squeeze out excess water and pat dry before processing.
- Cut the date bites after freezing them for 45 minutes. As they warm to room temperature they become more difficult to cut because they’re sticky. Pop them back in the freezer to firm them back up. Then, get back to cutting.
More Date Recipes to Love
- Pumpkin Kasha Energy Bites
- Bourbon Date Nut Truffles
- No Bake Vegan Chocolate Almond Date Bars
- K.I.S.S. Brownies – from Kitchen Confidante
- Healthy Mocha Shake
the recipe
Double Chocolate Date Bites
Ingredients
- 1/2 C Walnuts shelled
- 12 Medjool Dates pitted, soaked hot water for 10 minutes and drained. Pat dry.
- 1/4 C Raw Cacao Powder
- 1/3 C Almond Flour aka Almond Meal
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Bean Pod beans scraped out or 1/2 Vanilla Extract
- 3 Tbs Coconut Oil melted and cooled
- 1/4 C Mini Chocolate Chips vegan
Instructions
- Line an 8"x8" baking pan with parchment. Clip the sides down if needed. Set aside.
- In a food processor add the walnuts. Pulse until walnuts are roughly chopped. Remove from bowl and set aside.
- Add the pitted dates, cacao, almond meal, and vanilla beans to the food processor bowl. Pulse 10 times. Then, with the machine running, add the coconut oil. Switch to pulse until all the ingredients are of uniform texture and hold together. Dump ingredients into a clean bowl and add the chopped walnuts and mini chocolate chips. Using your hands, incorporate all the ingredients until the dough is uniformly mixed.
- Place mixture into lined 8x8 baking pan. Use your hands and/or the bottom of a measuring scoop to spread date mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan. Make sure to press the mixture into the corners.
- Place the double chocolate date mixture into the freezer for about 45 minutes. Once out of the freezer, remove the mixture from the pan. Trim the edges as needed so that there are no jagged edges. Use a ruler to measure out 1"x1" bite size pieces. Use a chef's knife to score the date mixture if you need to, then cut. As date mixture warms up it will become sticker and more difficult to work with. If needed, just pop it back in the freezer for 10 minutes so it'll be easier to cut.
- Store the date bites in a covered container, in the refrigerator between parchment or wax paper for up to two weeks. Freeze for longer storage.
These taste awesome! But I’m pretty sure I did something wrong. How much / how many dates are we supposed to use? I tried 12 dates and it didn’t seem enough. I doubled it and it’s not even close to the thickness shown on the photos. They taste great nonetheless! Thanks!
Hi Catherine! Thank you for your note. So happy to hear you’re enjoying the bites! 12 dates is the right amount. They should be Medjool dates (much larger then the smaller deglet noor dates – I’ll clarify in the recipe). The photos are a close up of the little bites, so while they look thick, they are indeed bites. I hope this helps!
I tried these at my brother’s gf’s house and loved them. So I made them today. They came out thin and didn’t hold together well. Did anyone double the recipe or add an extra tablespoon of coconut oil? I’m wondering what I did wrong.
I love this share
These look amazing. Can’t wait to make them. Thanks.
Thank you Jason! I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Same here, reformed date-hater! As a child I lumped them in with dried fruit, which I detested. Now I eat them all the time (they make wonderful running fuel!). These bars look wonderful, gutted I just used up all of my almond flour, or I would have been baking them tonight :)
Traci, these were so darn good. I made these with a few tweaks like pecans and dried cherries. They are my new favorite sweet tooth fix! Just 2 or 3 does the trick. Thanks for sharing. I also Instagram so you can see the results.
Hi Kevin! Thanks for posting here and sharing your beautiful photograph on Instagram at #VanillaAndBean! Your modifications are fantastic and I can’t wait to try dried cherries in this recipe! And Oh MY! The pecans! Delicious!
I have never tried dates, so I don’t really have an opinion on them :( These look so good though, I think I’ll go out and buy some soon!
Oh thats great! I find that people either love em’ or don’t. Dates have a mellow sweetness that grows on you with each bite. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Uh, yum!!! I love keeping sweets like this in the fridge for an afternoon pick-me-up! Dates are seriously magical ingredients. Haha, that’s funny how you mention the fibre -definitely an adjustment when you start eating more of it! lol. I chuckled ;)
I agree about the afternoon pick me up! It only takes a few of these to satisfy the afternoon hunger and cravings. Cheers to dates!
ahhh…what a wonderful cousin to inspire you with such deliciousness. I’m sure you’ve inspired her quite a bit too, so touche. :)
These look divine and I just love your food photography!
Thank you, for your kind comments, Amber!
Hey Jen, I envy you. You have a cool and FUN sister. :)
Thank you, Carrie!
Traci has knocked it out of the ballpark again!
Not only do I have the joy of being her sister and neighbor but, also, the lucky recipient to much of her wonderful cooking.
When she first presented these to me, I squealed with delight… “Oooh! A raw brownie!!”
Well, no. …Almost, but not quite.
These do have the deliciousness of a brownie – melt-in-your-mouth chocolate, the fantastic crunch of walnuts, and a subtle yet ample sweetness — but made with completely wholesome ingredients and can be enjoyed through the day guilt-free. Genius!!
Awwh, thank you, Jen. I love that part about guilt-free enjoyment! Indeed!