Moroccan-inspired Stuffed Dates

My partner and I currently teaching yoga at a beautiful boutique hotel/surf camp in Taghazout, and one of the perks of the gig is that we get to eat dinner there. There aren’t many places to dine around here that really understand veganism, so we’re super appreciative that the staff at Amouage by Surf Maroc not only get it, but go the extra mile to provide us with beautiful meals.

One of the highlights so far has been a super-simple after dinner treat of dates stuffed with nuts and chocolate. The dates here in Morocco are spectacular – sticky, sweet, juicy and cheap. So cheap!! Sadly, they’re apparently all imported from Tunisia and surrounds. Morocco does produce amazing dates, but they’re all exported, I guess to Europe. (The world is a little crazy, isn’t it??)

The chocolate and nut filling adds crunchy texture to the sticky, chewiness of the dates, and the slightly bitter dark chocolate perfectly offsets the caramel flavour. Somehow the humble-yet-delicious date is elevated to something akin to a bite of heaven.

They would be perfect served on a platter with grapes, biscotti, or whatever other sweet treats appeal to you.

I’ve used almonds, which are readily available here, but other nuts would work beautifully too. I’ve also included orange and cinnamon, which is a classic flavour combo in Morocco. If you experiment with other combinations I’d love to hear about them! Reply in the comments, and tag me on Instagram if you share a photo of your version.

Ingredients:

15 dates, approx good quality eg medjool
60 gm almonds, finely diced
40 gm vegan dark chocolate, chopped or chocolate chips
Pinch cinnamon
3 drops wild orange essential oil eg DoTerra

Instructions:
Lightly toast the chopped almonds. While they're still warm, mix them with all other ingredients except dates. The warmth of the almonds should semi-melt the chocolate, so it coats the almonds but is still a bit chunky.
Slice each date lengthwise and remove the pit, still keeping the dates whole.
Use a teaspoon to stuff as much filling into each date as you can.
Allow them to set - either putting them in the fridge half an hour, or just letting them rest for a while.
Serve at room temperature.