Peanut Butter and Jelly Stuffed Dates

If you’re a fan of a PB&J – and who isn’t?! – you’re going to love this recipe. These peanut butter and jelly stuffed dates are made with just a few simple ingredients and are perfect for prepping ahead. They truly are an ideal sweet & salty afternoon snack! And since they’re packed with fitness-fueling carbohydrates, as a dietitian I often recommend them for a pre-workout energy boost. Naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan-friendly.

Ingredients and Instructions

You only need a few ingredients for this recipe:

• Dates – Fresh pitted medjool dates are easiest, but you can also buy ones with the pits still in them. You just need to allocate a few extra minutes to remove the pits. The ones pictured from Natural Delights are always great.

• Peanut butter – I like natural peanut butter (like Teddies, as pictured) since the ingredients are only peanuts and salt. But you can use conventional peanut butter if you prefer.

• Jam – I use whatever chia jam I have on hand to make these. That might be blackberry chia jam, strawberry chia jam, or blueberry chia jam. Making chia jam offers a natural lower-sugar option. That said, you can use whatever jam you have on hand. Or you can buy a lower-sugar store-bought jam. Or, you can just mash up some juicy fresh strawberries or raspberries and use those. This recipe is very flexible.

Recipe Tips and Modifications

Storage: Store in the fridge for up to 5 days. (Note, if you made your own chia jam, storage should be a maximum of 5 days from the original date that you prepped that.)

Variations: Feel free to try different nut butters, like almond butter, pecan butter (YUM), or walnut butter. If you want even more unique options, try this maple pecan macadamia butter or healthy homemade chocolate hazelnut butter in them. You can also use sunflower seed butter if you need a nut-free option. And of course, you can mix up the types of jams you’re using.

Optional Toppings: If you’d like, you could add additional toppings to these, like:

• Shredded coconut
• Chopped peanuts
• Chia seeds
• Hemp hearts
• Mini chocolate chips
• Dark chocolate drizzle
• Crushed freeze dried berries
• Crushed cereal (try crushed honey grahams; SO good)
• Flaky coarse sea salt

More Healthy Sweet Snack Recipes

If you’re looking for more healthy snacks that satisfy your sweet tooth – and that you can prep ahead! – be sure to give one of these a try:

• Chocolate covered prunes
• Kodiak Cakes raspberry protein muffins
• Peanut butter banana mini muffins
• Chocolate cherry energy bites
• Pumpkin oatmeal cookies

I hope you enjoy this recipe for PB&J dates! If you get a chance to try it, feel free to leave a recipe rating or comment below.