Why Chocolate-Covered Stuffed Dates Are My Favorite Alkaline Dessert Recipe
As someone who has always indulged in dates, coconut, and tahini (preferably raw), I was very glad to find that my sister was experimenting with making finger desserts with Medjool dates a few years ago. The adventure started with initial experimentation and then turned into a project that the whole family took part in by weighing in on different flavors and consistency that could help her perfect this alkaline dessert recipe.
In fact, dates are some of the healthiest fruits for detoxing and strengthening the liver and the kidneys and are full of electrolytes and simple sugars that feed the cells with energy and essential nutrition. They are as alkaline as it gets!
This experimentation led my sister to get the idea to sell her healthy chocolates to local Phoenix-based co-ops, health food stores, and trendy cafes. We both saw that there was a lack of sugar-free, raw, and alkaline desserts even in the healthier section meant for the vegan palate. We would often smuggle in our Lara Bar to coffee shops, knowing there was nothing truly healthy for us to munch on, and junk vegan cookies and cakes didn’t cut it.
So, my sister got to work – she got a food preparation certificate and safety certificate, ordered a big box of organic Medjool dates, and started making the most delicious truffle-like desserts she calls ‘Little Joys’. Together, we packed them, labeled them, and distributed them to local stores. And, oh my, were they a hit!
How to Make Stuffed, Chocolate-Covered Dates
There are many ways you can get creative when making stuffed, chocolate-covered dates! You can choose to stuff them with different stuffing, spices, and flavors and cover them with white or dark chocolate. My favorite dates are stuffed with organic shredded coconut (which provides a simply divine crunch), organic tahini, cacao nibs, and chai spices.
Then, they are covered with a concoction of melted raw cocoa butter (melted with hot water on the lowest melting temperature threshold), organic pure vanilla, and organic raw cocoa powder (this part was a science, in that we had to really get the covering temperature right to make sure the covering concoction didn’t get hard before the dates were rolled into it).
For the white chocolate alternative, you simply skip the cocoa powder and mix together raw melted cacao and organic vanilla. Both versions are truly delicious! Then, once the truffles are fully covered with cocoa butter, they are left in the freezer overnight to harden and be ready for consumption.
And to give the alkaline truffles a bit of distinguishing personality, my sister would garnish certain batches with dried rose petals (that she sprinkled on top of the dates before the covering cooled down) and other interesting toppings that gave the truffles a specific taste that was uniquely flavored and incredibly mouth-watering.
Since cacao has a low melting point, it can be consumed at room temperature, making these stuffed date truffles an indulgent snack on the go and the perfect cafe companion!
Some of our most memorable cafe get-togethers included sharing a batch of Little Joys and ruminating on how easy it was to make the tastiest truffles in the world with pure, alkaline ingredients, no sugar, no preservatives, and no bad fats. The only thing that is required is exploration, creativity, and the love of all things healthy and natural.
‘Little Joys’ Alkaline Dessert Recipe
- De-pit your Medjool dates
- In a separate bowl, combine tahini, cinnamon, cardamom, and clove to your preferred taste; add shredded coconut and cocoa nibs to the mixture; mix everything together
- Stuff the dates with the mixture and shape the dates so that all the corners are sealed as tightly as possible
- Prepare a whole batch
- Depending on the size of the batch, submerge a glass bowl of cacao butter in a boiled pot of cooling water and let it melt thoroughly; add cacao powder to the mixture and stir (if making dark chocolate covering)
- Either submerge the truffles in the bowl and take them out one by one to cool on a plate or use a spoon to strategically cover each piece by hand
- If your initial batch of cacao cover starts to harden before you are done covering all the date truffles, you can remelt the cacao and ensure that any parts that have not been properly covered are well covered
- Place the plate in the freezer; the truffles will not completely freeze but will be the right consistency for consumption (room temperature) when carried out and about
- Enjoy!
Why Alkaline and Raw Desserts Are Simply The Best…And Better Than All The Rest!
The fact that desserts can be frozen or molded into different shapes with natural ingredients alone, they are some of the easiest foods to make raw and/or alkaline. With the general availability of coconut oil, coconut cream, dates, and date sugar (my favorite healthy sugar substitute), it is easy to put together delicious fruit, nut, herb, or spice-flavored desserts that are actually good for you.
But health is only one of many positive aspects of raw and alkaline desserts! When you’ve been on a high raw vegan diet like I have for a while, your sense of taste and smell changes profoundly and you aren’t able to enjoy the type of foods you’ve eaten before – they will simply taste too artificial, salty, flavorless, and dull.
This for me is especially true when it comes to desserts. Trying the overly sugary, cardboard-y, and dry type that tastes past its expiration date is torture. Even the look and smell seem to evoke “artificial,” and I never have cravings for them anymore – no matter how beautifully they’re displayed in bakeries and cafes!
When I first tried raw vegan desserts, including the stuffed date alkaline dessert recipe, I was floored by the richness and flavor found in every bite. Nature simply knows best what our cells need for energy production (simple sugars), so it’s no wonder dates are most often used in vegan and alkaline dessert recipes.
For example, I would get stuffed just by having a handful of my sister’s Little Joys, because food satiation is not measured by its portion size but by its nutrition. Just think when you eat a big bowl of pasta and then three hours later, your stomach growls. When you consume raw food, you need to eat less food in general, since it is so filling and can keep you going for many hours without any hunger pains.
A slice of a large, raw vegan cake (made up of 5 simple ingredients) was not only my occasional lunch once upon a time when I was visiting the capital of Macedonia, but it held pure richness, quality, texture, unique flavors…and healthy sweetness.
To learn more about why I recommend fruit sugar for health and healing, check out my article The Incredible Benefits of a Fruit Diet: Why Fruit is the Most Healing Food Found in Nature.
Some Other Alkaline Dessert Favorites
The following are some of my favorite alkaline dessert recipes! I went ahead and handpicked my favorite recipes for them (the healthiest versions) that I could find online, and I’m sharing them with you below.
Raw Baklava
Given that my family tree comes from the Balkans, it is no surprise that I am a big fan of Baklava! It is sweet, nutty, and hearty – and it’s incredibly delicious accompanied by organic coffee and various coffee substitutes.
My sister happened to also release her own raw vegan dessert recipe e-book, including the following raw baklava recipe that I had tried myself and was completely blown away by how much it resembles the original baklava…and how it’s even more delicious!
Crust (3 Layers):
- Banana
- Coconut oil
- Vanilla extract or powder
- Cinnamon powder
Filling:
- Soaked walnuts
- Soaked dates (keep date water for syrup)
- Cinnamon powder
- Sea or Himalayan pink salt
Pour-Over Syrup:
- Lemon juice
- Date water
Preparation:
- Blend bananas, coconut oil, vanilla, and cinnamon together to make the crust batter.
- Pour the batter on dehydrator sheets and shape it into three large rectangles (for three baklava layers), making sure that they are not too thin.
- Dehydrate the layers at 113F for 10 hours or until the layers are pliable.
- To make the filling, combine soaked walnuts with soaked dates, cinnamon, and salt (use twice as many walnuts as dates by volume) and pulse in a blender or food processor until the walnuts are finely chopped.
- Place the first layer on the bottom of the pan.
- Add half of the filling you made and spread it evenly.
- Place the second layer on top and add the rest of the filling.
- Cover the filling with the last layer.
- Make the pour-over syrup by combining lemon juice with date water.
- Pour the syrup on the pre-cut baklava. Pour as much syrup as the baklava can absorb.
- Cut the baklava into small pieces resembling a spade.
- Enjoy at room temperature or chilled in the fridge. The longer the baklava stays in the fridge, the more it will develop its delicious flavors.
Chia Mango Pudding
Simple, refreshing, and quick to make (once the chia has seeped in water for some hours), chia-mango pudding is such a summer treat that really hits the spot!
All of the ingredients in the chia mango pudding are highly electrical, meaning they will hydrate the body and elevate its energy fairly quickly and sustainably. So pack your chia pudding for a hiking break or have it for breakfast right before your workout.
Vegan Power Balls
Like stuffed date truffles, power balls are easy to diversify in terms of flavor and are a perfect size to carry around as a healthy snack. They are filling and pack a powerful and rich flavor with every bite.
My only suggestion for making them is to watch out for high-protein recipes using “healthy” vegan ingredients that are not actually very healthy, such as soy oil/butter, gluten-rich ingredients such as oats, and “healthy” sweeteners that are actually processed, such as agave syrup, grain syrups, and even maple syrup.
To sweeten desserts in the healthiest way, my suggestion is to always use date paste, fresh dates (that you can steep in water and then additionally use their sugar water), or date sugar (which is granulated from dehydrated dates and is not processed).
More Raw Desserts Around the World
This is simply a gallery of some delicious raw and alkaline desserts I had over the years – either the ones I made myself or that were made by a family member or those that I found while I traveled throughout the US and Europe.
Final Thoughts
I hope you enjoyed learning about my very favorite alkaline dessert recipe – chocolate-covered stuffed date truffles! One of the most important elements of making this delicious recipe is the practicality of eating and carrying the truffles out and about as a snack. As a finger dessert, they are very practical for kids (and a healthy alternative to conventional chocolate or truffles!).
Also, you can make batches of different flavors at one time and store the dessert indefinitely in your freezer. All in all, the flavor, versatility, and practicality make stuffed date truffles one of the best alkaline desserts out there!
If you’d like to learn more about alkaline foods and acidic foods, I hope you find the following resources I wrote very helpful:
The Essential Alkaline Food List to Help You Regenerate Your Body
The Complete Acid Food List and Which Foods to Avoid for Optimal Health
4 Delicious Alkaline Diet Recipes That Will Make Your Mouth Water