My 3-Ingredient Dessert Is Perfect for Making Ahead

I love to entertain, and while I usually start by inviting over one couple, by the end of the week I’ve often invited three. I inherited this trait from my father—the urge to invite extra people and serve a meal family style, with friends and family filling our dining table. Though my husband always recommends we order in, I prefer to cook and make sure everyone is happy and well-fed.

After dining on a substantial dish, my friends and I crave something sweet but not too heavy or complicated. That’s where my tahini-chocolate dates come in. They’re my go-to dessert for nights like these: they’re easy to make ahead, so when the last bite of the meal is gone, all I have to do is pull them out of the fridge. I recently hosted a meal for friends visiting from Denmark and served these—they were gone in minutes.

Dates are also a traditional part of breaking fast during Ramadan. My son observes Ramadan, and he always breaks his fast with a customary date. Instead of serving them plain, I make these chocolate-covered tahini dates for him. They offer comforting sweetness after a long day of fasting and have become a part of our Ramadan table.

Tips for Making My 3-Ingredient Tahini-Chocolate Dates

• Whisk your tahini well: Believe me, you don’t want tahini oil leaking out of your dates, so my best advice is to whisk your tahini well and scoop from the bottom of the jar to get at the thick, creamy stuff at the bottom before stuffing the dates.

• Enjoy them from the fridge or freezer: My son prefers to enjoy his dates straight from the freezer, which gives them a firm, candy-like texture. But if you prefer yours softer, you can store them in the refrigerator instead.

• Use Medjool dates: For the best results, I recommend using Medjool dates for this recipe. They’re soft, large, and naturally sweet—perfect for stuffing and coating in chocolate. Other types of dates, like Deglet Noor, can work as well, just keep in mind that they might be a little smaller, firmer, or less sweet than Medjools, so you may need to adjust the filling accordingly.

How To Make My 3-Ingredient Tahini-Chocolate Dates

To make 24 dates, you’ll need:

• 24 Medjool dates

• 1/4 cup tahini, whisked well

• 6 to 9 ounces chopped semisweet chocolate (or 1 to 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips)

• Flaky salt, optional

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a paring knife to slice each date open down the middle, being careful not to cut all the way through. Remove the pit from each date.

Whisk or swirl the tahini to make sure you’re getting the thicker part as well as the oil. Fill each date with 1/2 teaspoon tahini. Gently press each date closed. Arrange the stuffed dates on the parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze them until the tahini filling is firm, about 20 minutes.

In the meantime, melt 6 ounces of the chopped chocolate or 1 cup of chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring in between each interval, until fully melted and smooth. Or, you can use a double boiler by placing the chocolate in a bowl over simmering water and stirring until melted.

Remove the dates from the freezer. Use small tongs or a fork to dip each date into the melted chocolate, making sure to cover the tahini filling. Let the excess chocolate drip off, then return the dates to the baking sheet, spaced at least an inch apart so they don’t stick together. If you run out of chocolate, melt the remaining 3 ounces (or 1/2 cup chocolate chips) and continue dipping.

While the chocolate is still wet, sprinkle it with the flaky salt. Pop the baking sheet in the fridge until the chocolate sets, about 30 minutes, or place them in the freezer for at least 15 minutes.

These dates are best served chilled, so if you’re not eating them immediately, store them in the fridge for up to 1 week. You can also freeze them on the baking sheet until solid before transferring them to a ziptop bag and freezing for 3 months.

Easy Tweaks

This recipe is super flexible, so you can try out different types of chocolate, toppings, and fillings. Here are some of my favorite variations:

• Instead of the tahini, try almond butter, peanut butter, or sunflower seed butter

• Instead of semisweet chocolate, try dark, milk, or white chocolate

• While the chocolate is still wet, sprinkle on some toppings like shredded coconut, crushed nuts, sesame seeds, orange or lemon zest, or my favorite: edible dried rose petals

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