Ingredients

• 12 Medjool datesMedjool, soft enough that a thumb leaves a dent; Deglet Noor are dry and chewy
• 100 g pecan buttersmooth; almond butter works
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 120 g dark chocolatearound 70 per cent; milder chocolate leaves this cloying
• 30 g pecan halvestoasted and roughly chopped
• 1/2 tsp flaky sea saltfor finishing

Method

1. 01

   Open the dates

   Lay each date on a board and cut lengthways along one side with a small knife, going only about two-thirds of the way through so the date opens like a book and stays hinged. Hook the stone out with the knife tip. Work over a bowl. Soft Medjools leak a little syrup. If a date tears completely in half, keep it; you can press it back together once it is filled.

   If a date tearsFill it anyway and pinch it back together. The chocolate hides the seam completely.

2. 02

   Make the filling

   In a small bowl, stir the pecan butter with the maple syrup until completely smooth and slightly glossy, about 30 seconds of firm stirring. It should be thick enough to hold a peak on the spoon. If your nut butter is very loose, chill it for 10 minutes before filling; if it is stiff and dry from the bottom of the jar, add a teaspoon of warm water.

   100 g pecan butter · 1 tbsp maple syrup

3. 03

   Fill generously

   Spoon roughly 2 teaspoons of filling into each date, pressing it into the cavity and mounding it slightly proud of the cut. Pinch the date closed around it so a ridge of filling shows along the seam. Under-filling is the most common mistake here. The date is sweet and the nut butter is what balances it, so you want them close to equal by volume.

4. 04

   Chill before dipping

   Put the filled dates on a parchment-lined tray and into the fridge for 15 minutes. Cold, firm filling holds its shape when you dip; room-temperature filling smears into the melted chocolate and clouds it.

5. 05

   Melt the chocolate

   Melt the chopped chocolate in a bowl over barely simmering water, the bowl clear of the water, stirring until smooth, 4-5 minutes. Keep the water below a simmer; any steam that reaches the chocolate will thicken it past the point of dipping. Take the bowl off the heat before the last few pieces have gone and stir them out in the residual warmth.

   120 g dark chocolate

   Keep going past the ball stageBlending pecans, they pass through crumbs and a stiff ball before turning suddenly to butter.

6. 06

   Dip, top and set

   Holding each date by its unfilled end, dip the bottom half into the chocolate, let the excess drip back for a couple of seconds, and set it on the parchment. While the chocolate is still wet, press a few chopped toasted pecans into it and add a two-finger pinch of flaky salt. Work in batches of three or four. The chocolate skins over faster than you expect. Chill for 15-20 minutes until the chocolate is firm.

   Salt only, no oilOil is not needed and makes the filling too loose to stay in the date.

7. 07

   Bring back up to temperature

   Take them out of the fridge 15-20 minutes before eating. Straight from cold the date is firm and the filling is claggy; at cool room temperature the date goes soft and fudgy and the nut butter loosens into something closer to caramel. This step does more for the eating than anything else in the recipe.