You can’t tell just from looking at this fudge that it contains dates. Taste testers said the flavor of dates is not readily apparent, either.
Mary Therese Biebel | Times Leader
Listening to some of the Times Leader Taste Testers this week, I felt like I was in a room with Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
After they each tried a piece of chewy chocolate fudge from the Times Leader Test Kitchen, one tester said it would have been better with more dark chocolate flavor, another said it had too much dark chocolate flavor, and a third said plainly, “It’s not sweet enough.”
I believe those were the three youngest palates in the newsroom.
Meanwhile, some of our more seasoned colleagues found the fudge more appealing.
“Oh, so good,” reporter Jen Learn Andes sighed.
When she heard that dried dates had been ground into the mix, Jen said that reminded her of commercially prepared brownies she had purchased, which also contain dates. “They’re good,” she said, “but yours are so much better.”
Columnist Bill O’Boyle said he could have done without the nuts that were sprinkled on top, but he enjoyed the chocolate flavor of the fudge. And when I told him about the “secret ingredient” of dried fruit, he said, “These dates, I’m a fan of.”
At home, Mark called it “delicious” and praised the way the added salt “enhanced the chocolate flavor.” The vanilla probably helped in that direction, as well.
Back in the newsroom, executive editor Jake Higgins said that while the consistency wasn’t what he had expected, the fudge tasted good, and news editor Liz Baumeister rated the fudge “7.5 on a scale of 10,” which seemed generous, considering she is not a fan of dates, and also that she picked off the nuts so she could eat them separately.
“I couldn’t taste the dates,” she admitted. And that was pretty much the consensus of the group.
Here is the recipe, which I found in the August 2026 edition of Prevention magazine. The directions say to top the Dark Chocolate and Date Fudge with toasted hazelnuts. I used slivered almonds instead, because they were easier to find. And while I’m admitting to substitutions, I also used salt that was not “flaky.”
Dark Chocolate and Date Fudge
Nonstick cooking spray
8 ounces pitted Medjool dates
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
14 ounces 70% dark chocolate, melted
1/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted, skinned and very roughly chopped
1/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt
1. Lightly spray 8 x 8-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line with parchment paper, leaving overhang on 2 sides. Spray paper.
2. Soak dates in boiling water for 10 minutes; reserve 1/2 cup liquid, drain and transfer to food processor along with vanilla extract and kosher salt. Add 1/4 cup reserved liquid and puree, scraping down the sides and adding more reserved liquid as necessary to blend until smooth. Add chocolate and puree until smooth.
3. Transfer mixture to prepared pan, then top with hazelnuts and flaky salt. Refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours. Cut into 1-inch squares. Store in refrigerator up to 2 weeks.
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