Why chewy dates pair perfectly with chocolate?

I first cemented the allure of the “chew” aged 14, working illegally as a chambermaid (I lied about my age) and finding a guest’s Gummy Bears laid open – a breach I heavily exploited. Recently this chew need has been sated by dates and their use in chocolate as a healthy caramel. Dates do have nutritional benefits over mere sugar: fibre, minerals, antioxidants and make a great pre-workout boost.

My favourite, and how it all started, was with Solkiki’s excellent date bonbons: almond ganache in a date, surrounded by 66% Bolivian chocolate. When I’m eating chocolate dates for personal pleasure, the cocoa content needs to be high to counterbalance the tooth-jarring sweetness of dates, so these really did it for me. Another great contender was Sam Joseph’s 70% covered peanut butter medjool dates.

My young testers are obsessed with Forest Feast’s chocolate-covered fruit, so its date offerings are an easy segue. Best in the ring here are the peanut butter and milk chocolate: dates, chocolate and peanut butter are a menage a trois made in heaven. And in terms of the biggest, most pillowy dates, Birley Bakery wins with its selection boxes. These are sweet – especially the caramelised white with pecan – but I couldn’t resist biting into them for the sheer marshmallowness of the dates: epic. Meanwhile, if you’re in London, visit Makers in Chelsea for its date-stuffed offerings: I liked the gingerbread almond praline, although peanut butter is also available.

For using dates as sweetener, Cosmic Dealer is my current obsession. I love everything about their 75% chocolate-covered low sugar chocolate squares stuffed with a variety of nut butters and extras. I buy in bulk; my favourites are the peanut butter and smoked salt and the salty fig.

The Guardian