Once I realised that pitted dates when flattened out look a bit like bats, I just had to make this recipe! Halloween is the perfect time to get creative in the kitchen with little ones and these bats are simple enough to make that children can help out.
Not only is Halloween baking lots of fun but there are also benefits to cooking with kids, like developing fine motor skills. These bats do contain a little chocolate (and optional edible eye sweets).
I’ve written a post about sugar for babies and children so do read my recommendations alongside a blog I’ve posted about how I handle sweet foods for my children (this was written at Christmas but all the ideas in it apply to Halloween as well). Thank you so much to Emily from nutritiousfamilyfood for developing this recipe with me.
Prep: 15 minutes
Freeze: 30 minutes or until solid
Makes: 12
Ingredients
- 12 medjool dates
- 150g milk cooking chocolate
- A few tbsp nut butter
- 24 edible eye sweets (optional)
Method
- Line a baking sheet or plate that will fit in your freezer drawer with greaseproof paper.
- Soak the dates in boiling water to soften.
- Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a bowl placed over a pan of simmering water.
- Drain the dates, run a sharp knife around them to remove the stones but don’t slice all the way around so that both halves remain attached to each other. Pop on a chopping board. Carefully pull the sides of each date outwards to create bat shapes (like opening out a book).
- Place a glass on top of each date and press down to flatten them into thinner bat shapes for little ones to eat. If the dates stick to the bottom of the glass, use a knife to gently remove them. Make sure they’re nice and flat to make them easier to eat.
- Spread each date with a thin layer of nut butter followed by a top layer of melted chocolate.
- Add edible eyes if you like.
- Pop in the freezer until the chocolate is solid (at least 30 minutes).
Be sure to supervise little ones around hot pans and sharp knives!
If you like this recipe, do visit my recipe blog for lots more family, baby and toddler-friendly recipes. You might like my other Halloween recipes including my lower-sugar Boo! biscuits, my easy cinnamon pumpkin pancakes as well as my family-friendly pumpkin soup and pumpkin hummus recipes.