Offering a combination of sweet, salty, and crunchy, this delicious take on date bark tastes like a Twix Bar and contains just three ingredients. Say ‘hello’ to my new favorite easy dessert.
What is Date Bark?
Have you heard about date bark? Essentially, it’s dates, peanut butter, peanuts, and chocolate layered on top of each other to create something that tastes similar to a flattened Snickers Bar. Date bark went viral on TikTok last year and since then, I’ve seen it plastered all over the internet.
Armed with a plentiful supply of dates from Costco, I decided to try my hand at date bark and since then I’ve made several variations. This recipe is by far my favorite and won the approval of my husband and several dinner party guests. I substituted the peanut butter and peanuts for graham crackers and the result tastes like a Twix Bar without the drippy caramel. The best bit? My take on date bark only requires three ingredients.
Medjool dates nutrition facts
Medjool dates are a rich source of carbohydrate and fiber with 36g of carbs, and 3.2g of fiber per serving (2 dates). They are also packed with potassium, a widely under-consumed nutrient that helps regulate blood pressure and offset the effect of sodium [1]. Medjools also offer small amounts of vitamin B6, copper, magnesium, and manganese.
Dates are gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan-friendly, making them appropriate for a variety of dietary restrictions and a great base for plant-based desserts.
Here’s the nutrition breakdown for Medjool dates per 2-date serving:
- Calories: 133
- Protein: 0.9 grams
- Total Fat: 0.1 grams
- Saturated Fat: 0 grams
- Cholesterol: 0 milligrams
- Sodium: 0.5 milligrams
- Total Carbohydrates: 36 grams
- Dietary Fiber: 3.2 grams
- Sugars: 32 grams
- Vitamin B6: 6% DV
- Magnesium: 7% DV
- Potassium: 10% DV
- Copper: 9% DV
- Manganese: 6% DV
- Iron: 2% DV
- Calcium: 3% DV
One of the concerns I hear most often about dates, particularly Medjool dates, is that they’re rich in sugar. To some extent, that is true. Dates are rich in naturally occurring sugar. However, it’s excess consumption of added sugar NOT naturally occurring sugar in fruit, grains, and starchy veggies, that has been linked with conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and obesity [2]. The sugar in dates is bound up with fiber, potassium, antioxidants, and other micronutrients, which means that it has a different effect than say drinking a can of soft drink.
Does that mean you should eat boatloads of dates on a daily basis? No, of course not. But for most healthy people a couple of dates a day is unlikely to be deleterious to your health. In fact, in some instances consuming dates can be helpful which brings me to my next topic: Dates and labor.
Can Medjool Dates Induce Labor?
If you are currently pregnant or have been pregnant in the past you’ve probably heard whispers about the benefits of dates for labor. Interestingly, it’s more than just urban legend. A growing body of evidence indicates that consuming 6-7 dates per day in the last month of pregnancy may accelerate labor, reduce the need for induction, and promote cervical dilation [3]. Moreover, some research suggests that consuming 4-10 dates (or more) postpartum can improve breast milk quality and reduce the risk of postpartum hemorrhage [3].
However, there are a couple of things to keep in mind here. Firstly, consuming 6-7 dates a day in the last 4 weeks of pregnancy may not be practical or wise for everyone. Dates provide 18g of carbohydrate per date and women with gestational diabetes may find that eating dates, especially in large quantities, spikes their blood sugar which can be dangerous for both mother and baby.
Secondly, it’s unclear if starting an aggressive date protocol too soon promotes premature labor. Therefore, it’s important to stick to the guidelines and wait until the last few weeks of pregnancy before you start increasing your date intake.
Finally, with regards to the best type of date for inducing labor, few (if any) studies have evaluated the benefits of Medjools specifically. Many of the trials to date have used other, smaller varieties of dates including Bam Mazafati, Sukari, and Ajwa dates, which may make eating 6-7 dates a day easier to achieve. Given that many date varieties appear to be beneficial for labor, it’s probably safe to assume that eating Medjools late in pregnancy has a similar effect to other types.
3-Ingredient Date Bark Tips
Now, onto that delicious date bark recipe I mentioned earlier. Before you start pulling ingredients from the pantry, here are a couple of tips to keep in mind:
- Use Medjool dates: Medjools tend to be meatier and stickier than other kinds of dates and that stickiness is essential imperative to keep your date bark together.
- Invest in good quality dark chocolate: I used Guittard dark chocolate chips. They are a little bit pricier than other brands but worth the money in my opinion.
- Store in the fridge: I recommend keeping your date bark in the fridge to maximize the crunchiness.
Happy noshing, friends!
Print
3-Ingredient Date Bark
- Prep Time: 10
- Total Time: 70
- Yield: 16 servings 1x
Description
Offering a combination of sweet, salty, and crunchy, this delicious take on date bark tastes like a Twix Bar and contains just three ingredients.
Ingredients
- 8 graham cracker squares
- 16 Medjool dates (2 cups)
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- Coarse sea salt
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- Lay the graham crackers side-by-side in two rows.
- Halve and pit the dates. Gently press two dates (4 halves) into each graham cracker square.
- Pour the chocolate chips into a glass or microwave-safe container. Put the container into the microwave and heat in 30-second increments, stirring in between, until the chocolate is completely melted.
- Pour the chocolate over the graham crackers. Gently spread the chocolate evenly over the crackers with a palette knife or spatula to form a thin, even layer of chocolate.
- Sprinkle coarse sea salt over the bark and refrigerate for an 1 hour+.
- Once set, use a sharp knife to slice the bark into 16 pieces.
Notes
- To make this recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free graham crackers.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 a square
- Calories: 196
- Sugar: 23.9 g
- Sodium: 147.7 mg
- Fat: 5.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 37.2 g
- Fiber: 3.5 g
- Protein: 2.1 g
Hungry for more? Check out more easy, healthy, delicious recipes here.
References
[1] McLean, R. M., & Wang, N. X. (2021). Potassium. Advances in food and nutrition research, 96, 89–121. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.afnr.2021.02.013
[2] Gillespie, K. M., Kemps, E., White, M. J., & Bartlett, S. E. (2023). The Impact of Free Sugar on Human Health-A Narrative Review. Nutrients, 15(4), 889. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15040889
[3] Salajegheh, Z., Nasiri, M., Imanipour, M., Zamanifard, M., Sadeghi, O., Ghasemi Dehcheshmeh, M., & Asadi, M. (2024). Is oral consumption of dates (Phoenix dactylifera L. fruit) in the peripartum period effective and safe integrative care to facilitate childbirth and improve perinatal outcomes: a comprehensive revised systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis. BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 24(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-023-06196-y
