Chocolate Date-Caramel Cups
Recipe and Photo by Sarah Jampel
INGREDIENTS:
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¾ cup chopped raw nuts (such as pecans and/or walnuts)
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¼ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
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2 Tbsp. raw sesame seeds
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1 cup pitted Medjool dates (about 6½ oz.)
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¾ tsp. kosher salt
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6 oz. bittersweet chocolate (about 1 cup), chopped
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1 tsp. virgin coconut oil
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Flaky sea salt
DIRECTIONS:
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.