I Tried the Snickers Dupe with Dates
For a while now, I’ve been seeing videos of a healthy Snickers dupe made with dates, and I’ve been wanting to try the recipe. Last weekend, while shopping at Whole Foods, I saw a pack of dates and decided to grab the rest of the ingredients and give them a try. They turned out pretty great, but I also learned a few lessons for next time.
My first mistake was probably grabbing the huge pack of dates that inspired me to finally give the recipe a try. Most online recipes for the dupe call for 10 Medjool dates, but I had grabbed a 2lb. container with more than 45 dates. I realized my mistake as soon as I started preparing to make them, but I also knew no one else in my family would eat the dates normally, so I figured I’d go ahead and turn them all into Snickers. Unfortunately, slicing open and removing the seeds from that many dates took quite some time.
Once the dates are sliced, the recipe calls for them to be filled with peanut butter and peanuts. Snickers are actually filled with caramel and peanuts, but the dates provide the sticky, caramel-like texture, and peanut butter contains less sugar than caramel, which makes it a healthier substitute. My favorite peanut butter brand is Crazy Richards, which is a simple, natural peanut butter, so I thought it was the perfect addition to this no-sugar-added recipe. While the taste was still great, it did add a gritty texture that my husband wasn’t a fan of. Next time I may try a different brand of peanut butter, perhaps a no-sugar added brand, or perhaps I’ll skip the peanuts and just use a crunchy peanut butter.
After the dates are filled, the recipe suggests that they be held closed with toothpicks and dipped in melted chocolate. While the toothpicks were certainly helpful, dipping the dates with the toothpicks wasn’t exactly easy as they kept sliding off the toothpicks. I ultimately found that it was easier to use the toothpicks to hold the dates over the chocolate and to spoon the chocolate over them. I also used semi-sweet chocolate rather than dark chocolate chips, which made the dupes a bit sweeter.
Once they were all covered with chocolate, they reminded me of the pill Miracle Max gave Inigo to bring back to life a “mostly-dead” Wesley. Luckily, To finish them off, my daughter sprinkled them with crushed peanuts, which made them look a bit more appealing. I also ground a bit of sea salt over top. Then we placed them in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to chill.
While they don’t taste exactly like Snickers, they are a pretty close match. And while I would certainly agree that they are a healthier, more nutrient-dense alternative, according to my calorie counting app, each Snicker dupe is about the same number of calories as a Fun Size Snickers, so if you’re just looking for a sweet treat, it might be easier to just grab a candy bar.
Of course, since I have a couple dozen Snickers dupes in my fridge now, I can satisfy my sweet tooth with a fiber and protein-rich snack instead of processed sugar. My family really did enjoy them, and we will certainly be making them again, but it still might be easier to just grab a Snickers bar if I’m really hangry.
