Assembling these dessert cups in muffin tin liners (just the liners!) helps speed up the process and ensure the sticky date caramel doesn’t get out of hand. This recipe is part of the 2020 Healthyish Feel Good Food Plan, a ten-day headstart toward eating well all year long.
Recipe information
Yield
Makes 12
Ingredients
¾
¼
2
1
¾
6
1
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 300°. Arrange 12 standard muffin liners on a rimmed baking sheet or large plate.
Step 2
Spread nuts, coconut, and sesame seeds in an even layer on a small rimmed baking sheet and toast, stirring once or twice, until nuts are darkened and fragrant and coconut is starting to brown, about 10 minutes.
Step 3
Meanwhile, place dates in a medium heatproof bowl. Pour boiling water over to cover dates and let soak 10 minutes. Drain dates, reserving soaking liquid.
Step 4
Transfer dates and 2 Tbsp. soaking liquid to a food processor. Add kosher salt and pulse, scraping down bowl occasionally, until smooth and creamy, with no large pieces of dates remaining. Be patient: It will take about 3–5 minutes. If you’re having trouble getting the dates to break down, add more soaking liquid 1 tsp. at a time. You should have about ½ cup date caramel.
Step 5
Melt chocolate and oil in a heatproof bowl in the microwave in 20-second increments, stirring in between, until smooth and glossy, about 1 minute total. Pour about 1½ tsp. melted chocolate into each liner (no need to be exact, you just want a thin layer). Top with a small scoop of nut mixture, pressing to spread out the chocolate a bit (you want every nut to be in contact with chocolate so it won’t fall off). Using 2 spoons, dollop about 1 Tbsp. date caramel into each, pressing to gently spread down and around. Top each cup with 1 tsp. melted chocolate, using the back of a spoon to spread it around and cover as much caramel and bare nuts as possible. Sprinkle with remaining nut mixture and sea salt.
Step 6
Chill until chocolate is firm, about 1 hour.
Step 7
Do Ahead: Caramels can be made 3 weeks ahead. Store in an airtight container and keep chilled.
Leave a Review
Reviews (22)
Back to TopThese cups are very tasty! I especially liked the touch of salt, yum yum! I found them to be VERY sweet though, so I’ll try a mini cup next time. Definitely an indulgence recipe!
Miyuki Hamakawa
Vancouver, Canada
6/26/2021
Can I use a greased muffin pan instead of the liners?
Mari
NJ
5/25/2021
These taste great, but the recipe doesn’t make enough date caramel. It makes 1/2 cup which is 8 tablespoons. You need another 1/4 for 12.
Anonymous
Toronto
9/6/2020
There are INSANE. So, so good. I used extra chocolate, dates, and coconut oil, and these taste like something I would spend $9 on at Whole Foods. SO GOOD!
Anonymous
5/6/2020
I’ve made these three times now... each time increasing the amount I make. The flavor is unreal - the combination of salty, sweet, and nutty is perfectly balanced and so indulgent. Making them in silicon liners helps keep mess down and they freeze beautifully. Make them! Whatever you think these are going to taste like - forget it. Forget everything you’ve ever thought. They are so indulgent and guilt free (I am a total dessert advocate so no sweet-shaming here, but I guess it’s a perk). You’d never know that these are ‘healthy-ish’. MAKE THEM.
Anonymous
Washington DC
4/26/2020
I dont know why it took 22 years of my life to figure out i dont like dates. But my roommate really liked the recipe so I'll give it a 5 star
Anonymous
canada
3/31/2020
Hi! Something good comes out of self quarantine! I have been wanting to try this recipe for months! So delicious! I HIGHLY recommend using the smaller candy size paper cups as this is a very rich flavor combination. The layering is a little slow, but you will get into a rhythm after a few trys. I started by making just one tester and refrigerating for an hour to make sure it was worth the effort. INDEED it is!
Anonymous
Carmel, CALi
3/17/2020