Sunflower Butter Stuffed Dates

These chocolate-covered Sunflower Butter Stuffed Dates are one of my favorite takes on the ever-so-popular stuffed dates snack trend!  The dates are caramel-y and sweet, and the sunflower butter and chocolate make them dessert-y and rich.

While the majority of stuffed date recipes feature peanut butter or almond butter, I often love making them with sunflower seed butter!  Not only is the flavor super delicious, but it also makes them nut-free for anyone with allergies!  As an added bonus, they also happen to be both vegan and gluten-free.

Only 4 Ingredients Needed!

Dates | Sunflower Seed Butter | Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips | Flaky Sea Salt

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MAKE HOWEVER MANY OR HOWEVER FEW YOU LIKE

The best part about this recipe is that, despite the quantities suggested as a jumping off point, you can technically make however many or however few you like!  I often will make just a handful on a whim for a sweet snack.

It’s very easy to eyeball the ingredients to taste if you don’t want to follow a recipe!

CHANGE UP THE RATIOS

Want to pack them super full with additional sunflower seed butter or drizzle them with extra chocolate?  Or maybe you don’t love sweet + salty as much as me, and want to eliminate or minimize the salt.  As stated above, you can adjust them to taste easily!

RECIPE NOTES:

Date Size: Dates vary greatly in size.  I personally used a batch of very petite dates for bite-sized enjoyment, but feel free to use a larger variety if you’d like them to feel more substantial!  This unpredictable variation is why I chose to use a measurement of total ounces of pitted dates versus an individual number of dates.  (Mine were so little that 8 oz = 36 teeny dates, meaning one could eat several bites at a time.)

Feel Free To Use An Alternate Nut Butter: While I love to make these stuffed dates with sunflower seed butter (which makes them nut-free), feel free to experiment with peanut butter, or another nut butter with a similar flavor profile.

Ingredient Ratios: As stated above, feel free to play around with the ratios to your taste!

Chocolate: I recommend starting with about 2 oz of melted semi-sweet chocolate chips.  This amount is enough to drizzle over the dates while allowing for a little spillage.  If, after a taste test you’d like a little more, you could try 3 oz.

Storage: When making a big batch of these dates, I like to place them in a large glass baking dish lined with parchment paper to contain the mess.  This way they can easily be covered up, and stored in the fridge.  However, use whatever surfaces/containers are the most convenient in your kitchen! 

EXAMPLE OF HOW TO VARY THE RATIOS

VERSION 1 (DEFAULT – RECOMMENDED) | Equal Flavors: For flavors that are equally prioritized (caramel-y dates, nutty sunflower butter, and sweet chocolate) make the recipe as is below!

VERSION 2 | Extra Sunflower Butter & Chocolate: If you’d prefer a snack that is extra heavy on the sunflower seed butter and chocolate, feel free to incorporate an extra 2 tablespoons of sunflower butter overall, and give yourself 3 oz of melted chocolate instead of 2 oz to play with!

Kitchen Equipment:

• Kitchen Scale

• A Large Glass Baking Dish (or equivalent)

• Parchment Paper

• 1 Small/Medium Bowl

• Plastic Wrap (or equivalent)

Servings: Approx. 6-9

Ingredients:

• 8 oz Pitted Dates
• 1/2 Cup Sunflower Seed Butter
• Melted Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, to taste, 2 oz
• Flaky Sea Salt, to taste

Directions:

Line a large glass baking dish with parchment paper

Slice open the dates along one side (removing the pits if they have them)

Place the 8 oz of pitted dates slightly open in the dish

Evenly add in dollops of the sunflower seed butter into the centers of the dates

In a small/medium microwave-safe bowl, heat the chocolate chips in the microwave in 20-second increments, stirring in between each, until melted and smooth

Drizzle the melted chocolate over top of the dates to taste

Sprinkle the dates with flaky sea salt to taste

Feel free to enjoy immediately, though they might be messy!

To let the chocolate solidify, cover the dish with plastic wrap and place it into the fridge until the chocolate has hardened (about 30 minutes)

Whenever ready to eat, briefly bring dates to room temperature, and enjoy!

[Store dates in the fridge, bringing them back to room temperature shortly before snacking.]