Mixed Nuts, Mexican Spices, and Plenty of Chocolate? That’s the Recipe for a Winning Dessert

The rich, caramel-like sweetness of dates is the perfect foil for a crunchy nut blend spiked with cinnamon and ginger. Not enough for you? We’ve raised the stakes by dipping each stuffed date in a thick layer of chocolate. 

Chocolate Covered Dates with Mexican Spiced Nuts

Yield: 12 stuffed dates
Active Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1hour and 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup mixed walnuts, almonds, and pecans
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon raw honey
12 Medjool dates

Chocolate coating

3/4 cup melted coconut oil
8 tablespoons maple syrup
3 tablespoons coconut sugar
3/4 cup cacao powder
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon sea salt
Extra chopped almonds for topping

Instructions

Place mixed nuts, cinnamon, cayenne, ginger, allspice, vanilla, and honey in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 3 to 5 times to roughly chop the nuts and evenly coat them in the spices and honey.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together all ingredients for the chocolate topping. Set aside.

Cut lengthwise through the top of each date and remove pit. Press about 2 teaspoons or so of nut mixture into each date.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Grasping the end of  each nut-stuffed date, dip into chocolate to fully coat, and place on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dates. Sprinkle tops of coated dates with chopped almonds. Place baking sheet in fridge and chill until chocolate sets, 30 minutes to 1 hour. Store in fridge until ready to serve.

Photo credit: Paul Delmont