How to Make Sugar-Free Snipped Dates. Naturally sweet and delicious!

How to Make Sugar-Free Snipped Dates, naturally sweet and the perfect topping for oatmeal or even cold cereal in the morning. Easy and delicious, Sugar-Free Snipped Dates sweeten without adding refined sugar to your morning. 

I love dates, not only are they sweet and delicious, but very healthy with a number of minerals delivered in each serving. Dates are the perfect natural ingredient for sweetening other foods, with their caramel sweetness. The only problem is that they are very very sticky! Commercially prepared snipped dates are sugar-coated to keep them separate and easy to crumble over the top of oatmeal or other foods. Convenient yes, but I don't want or need the added sugar...

The added sugar is the reason I don't buy commercially prepared snipped dates. And inspired me to create my own jar of sugar-free snipped dates. It is very easy and only takes a few minutes to get the job done. Plus, honestly, sometimes I like this type of tactical hands-on busywork, kind of like meditation, it helps me sort through life's decisions.

You might notice that my bag of shredded coconut states that it is reduced fat. This purchase of this coconut was actually an error. You see, one of my great superpowers is to grab the wrong package from a shelf when I shop at a new store, and that is exactly how this ended up in my cart and then into my kitchen. 

At first, I was going to return it, but my dear husband read the package where we learned that the fat is removed through a mechanical pressing process with no chemicals used in the extraction of the coconut oil. A win, win really because the texture of the coconut is quite dry, making it the perfect ingredient to coat the sticky date pieces. 

Proof that no matter how long you have been cooking, mistakes will happen, but are often quite easy to work around! As Julia Child is quoted as saying, "You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces - just good food from fresh ingredients."

Ingredients needed for this recipe:

• whole Medjool dates
• finely shredded coconut

You will also need the following:

• large flat bottomed pan or bowl
• kitchen scissors
• kitchen knife
• cutting board
• screw-top jar or freezer container with lid for storage

Now you are ready to begin!

Sugar-Free Snipped Dates
by the seat of my pants!

18 Medjool dates
1 - 1 1/2 c finely shredded coconut

Place about 1 cup of coconut into a flat bottomed pan or bowl. 

Carefully slice one side of the date, pry open and remove the pit from each date. Open and lay flat (like a book) sticky side down into the coconut. Press with the heel of your hand to flatten slightly and push coconut into the sticky surface. 

Once all the dates have been opened and laid into the coconut to coat the sticky side, begin cutting into matchstick pieces. I use kitchen scissors for this, they work great!

Carefully coat the cut sides of the matchstick date pieces. Keep in mind, the thinner you cut the matchsticks, the smaller the cubes of dates will end up.

And finally, cut the dates once more crosswise, into small cubes. Once the dates have all been cut into cubes, toss in the remaining shredded coconut in the bowl, adding more if needed, until all the cut surfaces have been coated evenly in coconut.

Transfer to a jar with a screwtop lid.

To use, spoon over cereal or other foods where you want a sweet delicious flavor.

Storage options for Sugar-Free Snipped Dates. Store covered at room temperature for up to three months. You could freeze if desired, but there is no need, dried fruit keeps naturally at room temperature. 

UPDATE:  For your convenience, a "copy and paste" version of Sugar-Free Snipped Dates has been included below. 

#wholefoodingredients

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Printable "copy and paste" version:

Sugar-Free Snipped Dates
by the seat of my pants!

18 Medjool dates
1 - 1 1/2 c finely shredded coconut

Place about 1 cup of coconut into a flat bottomed pan or bowl. 

Carefully slice one side of the date, pry open and remove the pit from each date. Open and lay flat (like a book) sticky side down into the coconut. Press with the heel of your hand to flatten slightly and push coconut into the sticky surface. 

Once all the dates have been opened and laid into the coconut to coat the sticky side, begin cutting into matchstick pieces. I use kitchen scissors for this, they work great!

Carefully coat the cut sides of the matchstick date pieces. Keep in mind, the thinner you cut the matchsticks, the smaller the cubes of dates will end up.

And finally, cut the dates once more crosswise, into small cubes. Once the dates have all been cut into cubes, toss in the remaining shredded coconut in the bowl, adding more if needed, until all the cut surfaces have been coated evenly in coconut.

Transfer to a jar with a screwtop lid.

To use, spoon over cereal or other foods where you want a sweet delicious flavor.

Storage options for Sugar-Free Snipped Dates. Store covered at room temperature for up to three months. You could freeze if desired, but there is no need, dried fruit keeps naturally at room temperature. 

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