Dessert doesn’t get any easier than these sweet, gooey, crunchy date surprises.

Not only are they quick and simple to make, but they’re Ayurveda approved—meaning they’re nourishing, wholesome, sattvic (promoting purity) and tridoshic (appropriate for all body types—with a little modification).

I like to serve these date surprises at the end of a dinner party. They satisfy a sweet tooth, but don’t discount the wholesomeness of the meal just eaten. They also make a great snack for vata and pitta types—they calm and nourish vata, and satisfy quick-metabolizing pitta.

Only two ingredients are needed in this recipe: dates and nuts.

Step One:

Use soft, fresh Medjool dates. They’re plump and tender and while they might be wrinkly, they shouldn’t be hard. I find Deglet Noor dates to be a little too firm for this dessert.

Dates are good for vata and pitta types, but too heavy and sweet for kapha types. Kaphas can substitute dried figs.

Run a knife down the length of each date on one side only, and take out the seed. If you’re using figs, cut off the stem and slice the fig open on one side.

Step Two:

Stuff a Brazil nut or a couple of cashews into the date. Close the date most of the way so a little bit of nut peeps through.

That’s it!

All nuts are good for vata types, so they can take their pick of Brazil nuts, cashews, almonds or walnuts.

Combining nuts with dried fruit helps with vata-type digestion. Vatas with especially troublesome digestion can first soak nuts in water for several hours, which helps with digestibility.

Pitta types can substitute soaked and peeled almonds, and kapha types can substitute walnuts.

In summary, choose one of these combinations according to your body type:

Vata types: dates + any nut

Pitta types: dates + soaked and peeled almonds

Kapha types: figs + walnuts

If you don’t know your Ayurvedic body type, follow your intuition. Do the dates feel too heavy or sweet? If so, try figs. Are you able to digest raw nuts? If not, soak the nuts overnight or opt for soaked and peeled almonds.

Enjoy!

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Apprentice Editor: Kim Haas / Editor: Catherine Monkman

Photos: Courtesy of author.