Pecan Pie Date Bark
A pecan pie inspired version of the viral date bark! There's squidgy Medjool dates, maple peanut butter, toasted pecans, dark chocolate & a sprinkle of sea salt.
Servings: 12 Servings
Equipment
- Baking Tray
- Rolling Pin
- Mixing Bowls
Ingredients
- 100 g Pecans
- 450 g Medjool Dates (24 Dates)
- 100 g Peanut Butter (See Notes)
- 30 g Maple Syrup
- 20 g Vegetable Oil
- 250 g Dark Chocolate (I Used 54%)
- Fine Sea Salt
Instructions
Pecan Pie Date Bark
- Preheat an oven to 180°c/160°c fan (356°f/320°f).
- Place the pecans onto a baking tray then bake in the preheated oven for 6-8 minutes, until toasted & fragrant. Once toasted, leave to cool completely before using.
- Next, use a small knife to slice open each date then carefully open them up like a book & remove the pits.
- Place the dates onto a large piece of baking parchment so that they're facing cut side down. The dates should be arranged in 6 rows of 4 & should be just touching.There's a visual guide for this in the post above.
- Next, place another sheet of baking parchment on top of the dates then use a rolling pin to press & roll the dates into a thin, even layer. The dates should all be overlapping once rolled out & there shouldn't be any gaps between them.
- Place the dates onto a baking tray so they're now facing cut side up then carefully peel the top piece of baking parchment off. The dates have a tendency to stick to the parchment so you'll need to do this gently.
- Next, place the peanut butter into a heatproof bowl then warm gently in a microwave just until it's warm & a bit runnier. Gradually stir in the oil, followed by the maple syrup.Alternatively, warm the peanut butter up over a small pan of barely simmering water. It doesn't want to be too hot, just warm!
- Pour the peanut butter over the dates then use a palette knife to spread it into an even layer that completely covers the dates. Roughly chop the toasted pecans then sprinkle over the peanut butter layer. Chill this in the fridge for 10 minutes, so that the peanut butter can set slightly.
- In the meantime, roughly chop up the dark chocolate then place into a heatproof bowl. Melt either in the microwave or over a pan of barely simmering water.
- Next, pour the melted chocolate over the peanut butter layer then use a palette knife to spread it out to completely cover the pecans. Sprinkle the chocolate with a good pinch of sea salt then place the bark in the freezer & leave to set for at least 30 minutes.
Cutting Into Portions
- Once set, lift the date bark off the baking parchment then place onto a chopping board. Use a large knife to cut the bark into pieces then place into an airtight container, separating the layers with baking parchment. Serve straight away or store in the freezer.
Notes
1. Storage & Serving - I find that date bark is best served straight out of the freezer or when you let it sit out at room temperature for 10 minutes, to let the peanut butter & dates soften slightly. You can also store the bark in the fridge if you'd prefer. Stored in the freezer, date bark will keep for several months. Stored in the fridge, it's best eaten within 2 weeks.
2. Dates - Make sure to use Medjool dates for this recipe. You can buy these in most supermarkets!
3. Peanut Butter - Using a good quality peanut butter makes all the difference when making date bark. I used ManiLife smooth dark roasted peanut butter. As we're adding maple syrup to the peanut butter, we also need to add in a small amount of vegetable oil so that it doesn't seize up.
4. Chocolate - A good quality bar of dark chocolate works best for this recipe. I used a 54% dark chocolate but a 72% dark chocolate will work as well or a milk chocolate.
5. Nuts - If you're not a fan of pecans, feel free to use toasted peanuts instead or leave the nuts out completely!