dates stuffed with nut butter and salt

When I was rummaging through the fridge the other afternoon I had no idea that the concoction I was about to make would be such a good one.

I ripped open a Medjool date, took out the stone and stuffed the cavity with about half a teaspoon of cashew butter (you could use almond butter instead). I closed it back up a bit and sprinkled it with Maldon salt flakes. Oh my. It was so good that I posted it on Instagram and had so many responses I knew I should keep it for posterity on here.

This is a pretty near perfect snack for when you want something sweet but don’t want the resulting sugar crash half an hour later. The protein and good fat in the nut butter helps stabilise the natural sugars from the date and keeps you full. The fibre in the nut butter and date also balances things out nicely.

My boys love these, they are toffee-esque thanks to the dates and feel indulgent. I often make a few and pop them in the freezer as they are delicious frozen too.

If you buy dates for this recipe and want to use them in something else too, why not try my:

• sticky toffee pudding
• kale, date and quinoa salad
• date and chocolate crispy bars
• chocolate orange porridge
• Palm Springs date shake