When I started making Dipped Dates, it was for a simple reason: I thought they were delicious!
In the early days, I did what most people who buy dates would and got them in a container at the grocery store. They were great, but more often than not they were firm and a bit dried out. It never even occurred to me that they might be any different, because most stores only carried one option for dates, which is typically a clamshell of months old dates shipped in from who knows where.
But after some searching and experimenting, I learned a few things that shifted my perspective, and will hopefully convince you that dates are one of the best ways to fuel up fast.
Not all dates are the same
While Medjool are the variety you’re probably most familiar with for snacking, and types like Deglet Noor are popular for cooking and Thoory for trail mix, there are actually thousands of varieties of dates.
Once I started getting serious about cooking with dates, I quickly started searching beyond the shelves of my local supermarket. Dates are famously grown in North Africa and the Middle East, but they also come from parts of South Asia, Mexico, and other dry regions around the world.
Green are native regions for date palms. Purple is where they have been introduced.
As a US-based brand, I learned there were actually a number of date farms right here in the States. The dry southwest regions of California and Arizona are great places for growing dates!
I tried just about every US option I could find, and over and over I was blown away by how fresh, moist, and delicious they were. These weren’t the dry, chewy dates I was used to seeing in stores. They were soft, almost sticky at times, with subtle flavors that I’d never experienced in a date.
My choice was Rancho Las Novias, a family farm in Arizona that has been growing organic dates for three generations. Our Dipped Dates use their jumbo Medjools. Now, I’ll say that these are not the cheapest dates I could find. I tried dates that came in at a lower cost, or could be found at local distributors instead of shipped across the country. But from the first date I tried, the difference was clear.
This was a delicious date that made for an incredible product, one that I knew I wanted to share with the world.
Built for the long run (or the quick bite)
The first thing that probably comes to mind about dates for most people is their sweetness. A jumbo Medjool date is a deeply flavored, caramel-sweet fruit that can taste like a piece of candy when ripe. That’s great if you want big flavor, but aren’t they supposed to be a healthy snack?
Well, they are! Dates are high in natural sugars, which is why they have such a powerfully sweet flavor. But unlike candy or other processed foods, that sugar is backed by fiber, which helps slow down how quickly your body absorbs it.
That balance of sugar and fiber makes them a smart way to snack, but that sugar also adds another benefit. It makes dates last!
Because dates are high in natural sugars and low in overall moisture, they last for a long time on your shelf, and even longer in your fridge. Stored in a cool, dry place, you don’t even need to refrigerate your dates. And stored well in the fridge, they last even longer.
That means they are ready to grab from the fridge when you need a boost before work or the gym, and they are ready to roll when you’re traveling or away from home for a few hours (or a few weeks).
Dates and nuts are BFFs
Dates are a great snack on their own, but they have a natural best friend that makes them even more satisfying.
For nearly as long as people have been eating dates, they’ve been pairing them with almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts and more. The Romans stuffed them with nuts, North Africans pair them with honey and milk, and modern cooks discovered that dark chocolate takes dates over the top.
This is, of course, because the two taste delicious together. Soft, chewy dates pair perfectly with crunchy nuts.
But beyond the great taste, nuts also add more of the nutritional balance that makes dates such a great snack. Our Dipped Dates, for example, are filled with almond butter, adding protein and healthy fats for a more satiating bite. And our Double Date Chip cookies are packed with roasted almonds and walnuts, giving them a hearty crunch that satisfies your sweet tooth and your stomach.
Dates are the new snacking staple
I’m not the only one to fall in love with dates. Even though cultures around the world have loved them for millennia, modern shoppers are discovering dates and using them in totally new ways. I think that’s in part because they offer all the sweet taste people want in a snack, but without the processing and added sugars that so many quick bites are based on
But really, I believe it’s just because dates are delicious. They are an essential part of my own pantry, featuring in Orange Blossom Goods’ products and many of my own baking experiments, and I hope they find a place in your kitchen too!