Prunes in Chocolate

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Prunes in chocolate are the easiest sweet snacks I know. They are also the quickest to prepare (and probably to eat). I wrote about them last year, but I thought they deserved one more chance, especially in the pre-Christmas period, where they fit perfectly as potential edible presents or even Christmas tree decorations. These dark brown, irregular pebbles might not look attractive at first, but most people I know get seduced by the soft tangy prune encased in a thin layer of crunchy dark chocolate. They often receive more “wows” and other appreciation sounds than an elaborate, time consuming cake.

The idea of coating prunes in chocolate is not mine. It is a simplified version of the prunes in chocolate I used to adore as a child. Now I find these candies too sweet and packed with all the cheap hydrogenated oils or whatever vilifies the taste of the chocolate. Prune coated in dark chocolate contains the most important elements of these childhood treats and has become my favourite chocolate snack.

The very easy preparation takes ten minutes and then only half an hour to set in the fridge. Apart from these obvious advantages, prunes in dark chocolate are the healthiest chocolate snacks I know. Thanks to the prunes they also improve digestion, the aspect one shouldn’t neglect during the holiday season. Last but not least, contrary to the last week’s Matcha Truffles, they support very well the room temperature and don’t need to be stored in the fridge.

Before I pass to the recipe, I would like to thank Claire from Promenade Plantings for using my Tartiflette recipe. She has transformed this cheese, bacon and potato gratin into a vegetarian dish, skipping the bacon. Nonetheless her version looks fantastic. Click here to see her vegetarian tartiflette.

A couple of weeks ago Shu Han from Mummy I can cook! has tagged me in a game called “bloggers unplugged”. The game consists in answering personal questions and inviting other bloggers to do the same. I have tried to make the answers as short as possible, hoping you will not fall asleep:

1. What, or who, inspired you to start a blog?

Of course other food blogs.

2. Who is your foodie inspiration?

Of course my interest in food comes from the fact that my mum has always been an extraordinary, open-minded cook, never afraid of new recipes, techniques or spices. Her attitude has developped my curiosity, while the fact that her dishes were better than in any restaurant or at anyone’s house made me want to cook at home too. Apart from my mum, now there are several bloggers who constantly inspire me and motivate me to explore the infinite world of cooking.

3. Your greasiest, batter-splattered food/drink book is?

Definitely Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art by Shizuo Tsuji. I recommend it not only to Japanese cuisine enthusiasts.

4. Tell us about the best thing you have eaten in another country, where was it, what was it?

Pierre Hermé’s macarons. His first macaron has literally put tears in my eyes. Every time I have them, I am spellbound. I have never suspected macarons can be so extraordinary and sophisticated.

5. Another food blogger’s table you’d like to eat at?

I couldn’t choose just one person. I would like to hop from one table to the other, to change countries and cultures every day. The list would be too long to put it here.

6. What is the one kitchen gadget you would ask Santa for this year (money no object of course)?

A huge freezer (or maybe a really huge second fridge with a huge freezer?).

7. Who taught you how to cook?

My mum of course, but afterwards I learnt from books, blogs and am still learning.

8. I’m coming to you for dinner, what is your signature dish?

Strangely, I always get lots of compliments when I improvise, making dishes with leftovers and whatever I find in my kitchen (fried rice, pasta, noodles, tarts) without any precise recipe.

9. What is your guilty food pleasure?

There are many of these. Black pudding, foie gras, korokke, dark chocolates from my favourite chocolatier, bread from my favourite French baker…

10. Reveal something about yourself that others would be surprised to learn?

This is really difficult… I suppose that since I hardly ever talk about wine, this one might be a bit surprising: if I have to choose between an excellent bottle of wine or excellent food, I will always take the former. I know many wine bottles, not even excessively expensive, I would never exchange for any meal or food in the world.

I would love to hear confessions from the following bloggers (of course if they are willing to participate):

Charles (5 Euro Food)
Jeno (Weeknite Meals)
Kelly (Inspired Edibles)
Mr. Three-Cookies (Three Cookies)
Ping (Ping’s Pickings)

(Sorry if some of you have already played the unplugged game and I have forgotten.)

Now, if you are still awake, let’s go back to the recipe!

As I have already mentioned, chocolate and prunes are the only necessary items, but you can add some aromatic alcohol to your melting chocolate. Apricot brandy (Hungarian palinka is the best!) or rum are excellent.

Special equipment:

gift bags, boxes, paper presentation cases, gift paper and threads to hang them on a tree, etc., depending on what you want to make with the prunes

Preparation: 10 minutes+ cooling time in the fridge

Ingredients:

35-40 prunes (stoned)

100g (one bar) good dark chocolate

(50 ml apricot brandy, rum or any aromatic alcohol you like)

 

Melt the chocolate on low heat, in a small pan, stirring and not letting the chocolate boil.

(Add the alcohol at the end and stir well.)

Put the prunes into the chocolate and coat them in it, shaking the pan or moving them with a spoon.

Put them on the baking paper or a plate and put into the fridge until the chocolate coating becomes firm.

Take them out of the fridge and do whatever you have planned!

Published by Sissi

65 Replies to “Prunes in Chocolate”

  3. Yay, thanks so much for tagging me Sissi, can’t wait to write my post, and I loved reading yours – I didn’t know you were such a wine “amateur” (note to any non French speakers… I should point out that describing someone as an “amateur de vin” would best translate to “wine lover”… before anyone thinks I’m insulting poor Sissi!)

    I love the idea of prunes in chocolate, Sissi – I guess you could probably do apricots too, maybe pitted dates? They look so delicious… a perfect gift for people to go with my cherry brandy 😉

    1. Hi Charles, thanks for confirming I have managed to surprise at least one friendly blogger! I don’t know how to write about wines, so I don’t even try talking bout my recent discoveries or preferences. Thank you for the vocabulary precision, but I’m only a humble amateur in both senses.
      Apricot or any dried fruit would be perfect too. I always choose prune because this is my beloved dried fruit. I think anything would go with your cherry brandy 😉

  5. Hey there, and thanks for the mention! I’m still relishing the memory of the tartiflette 🙂 I’m sure I’ll be making another one soon….

  8. Interesting and useful recipe. Its another “broom for the stomach”:)

    I visited my friends family in Germany for Christmas few years ago and they had choc covered figs, a variation to your recipe. That was nice too. I also heard about Pruneaux d’Agen fourrés, prunes stuffed with prunes. That one sounds little unusual, a much stronger broom:)

    Interesting to read your answers, and thanks for tagging me. I will answer soon. I am not surprised with your answer to #10, you need to try again (kidding!).

    1. Thank you so much, Mr. Three-Cookies. You remember the stomach broom then 😉 I have never had figs in chocolate, but they sound delicious too. Prunes stuffed with prunes? I have never heard about these, but they would be maybe a bit more than digestive… I must have already told you something about wines while commenting on your blog. You know me too well 😉

  9. Hang them on a tree? Haha, not a chance! these are going directly in my belly. You know how I love my dark chocolate Sissi and there’s only one thing I appreciate more than dark chocolate and that’s an unpretentious recipe. YAY!! The possibilities are endless with these little beauties too… in addition to your delectable prunes, I suddenly have visions of apricots, fig and dates dancing through my head! 😉 These look scrumptious Sissi and I just love the mottled look of the chocolates in the photo.

    Thanks so much for thinking of me for bloggers unplugged – I really enjoyed reading your answers… wine over food, eh? That’s a serious kind of love 😉

    1. Thank you so much, Kelly. I know what you mean… every time I see them in the kitchen I take one. I cannot resist. Luckily I have made half of the portion 😉 Unpretentious is the ideal word for this recipe! (I still need to work on my poor English vocabulary…) I think all the dried fruits and even some nuts would work here very well.
      You are very kind about the photo, but personally I hate it. The prunes in chocolate were one of the most difficult items to photograph. A rainy, grey weather we have had for two days doesn’t help either. I am looking forward to read your “unplugged” answers! Yes, wine is a big passion of my life. Unfortunately, while excellent food can be very cheap at the same time, this is never the case with wines.

      1. you’re too hard on yourself… it’s one of my favourite pictures so far… i love the texture of your chocolate and the festive ribbon behind…also like that you sliced one open at the front. Here’s wishing for sunshine on your end and ours! 😉

        1. Thank you, Kelly. I am thrilled you like the photo. (Frankly I was so unhappy with the results I must have taken about 50 shots, eating some prunes in the meantime… and then the clouds and the rain made me stop). I also wish you lots of sunshine!

    1. Thank you, GG. I have given it to people with different origins and apart from those who hate prunes or chocolate (both are rare) everyone enjoyed them.

  11. A healthy sweet treat? I’ve never heard of someone combining prunes with chocolate, but it really does make a lot of sense in my mind! What other holiday baking are you doing? I usually make some rum cakes to give away, though truthfully I don’t think they are that great…

    1. Hi Jeno, I don’t plan absolutely any holiday baking this year. If I’m lazy or tired or both, maybe these easy prunes in chocolate will be the only thing I will feel like preparing. Seriously I was thinking about baking one special thing this year, but still have no idea (apart from lots of chocolate inside!).

  12. I’ve had apricots and miniature pretzels coated in white chocolate and candied orange peel in dark chocolate but never prunes. A nice treat.

    1. Strangely I don’t like candied orange (they sell it coated in chocolate at every chocolatier and some people adore it). I keep on making prunes because they are my favourite dried fruit, but I suppose other fruits would be perfect too.

      1. I don’t want to be indelicate so I’ll just say that prunes are generally eaten to aid in … digestion. 🙂 I think for that reason, I’ve never considered coating them with chocolates and eating them as a sweet. The pictures are gorgeous and at this time of year, I can understand how they would be be appreciated on dessert trays.

        1. It’s funny, but I have never associated prunes with digestion. I mean I have always known prunes and dried apricots were good for digestion, but I have always rather seen them as sweet treats (just like nuts) rather than healthy products (although thinking about them as healthy has always been an excuse to enjoy them more!). Contrary to Nami I have never been given prunes by my mum for health reasons, but she used to buy me prunes in chocolate just like she would buy other sweet treats. Maybe because of this when I see prunes, I think “chocolate” at once 😉

  13. Wow, that looks great! I must confess I’m not a fan of prunes but that sure looks like something I could easily sink my teeth into.
    Thanks for tagging me. I’m up to my nostrils with the festive stuff right now. There’s no time limit to this, I hope. Maybe I can do this after the Chinese New Year celebrations?
    I’m with you at #6!! Oh how I wish I had a chimney big enough for Santa to fit one through. Sigh.

    1. Thank you, Ping. You are one of those who don’t like prunes! (I think I met the first prune hater only a couple of months ago, somehow I had assumed everyone liked prunes). I think our chimneys would have to be really huge 😉 Play the unplugged game whenever you feel like and only if you want of course!

  17. I’ve never tried prunes with chocolate. My mom used to make me eat prunes for healthy purpose. If she had prunes with chocolate I was willing to eat double amount. I enjoyed reading and discovering about you. 😉 I can’t wait to read the secret from other tagged bloggers!

    1. Hi Nami, I have never had prunes especially for health reasons, but loved them in sweets… and always associated with chocolate. They are also (together with dried apricots) the most tangy dried fruits, so I have always loved them for this too. (I haven’t asked you to reveal your secrets since I don’t want to spoil your holidays 😉 )

  18. I am working and “playing”around with chocolate these days, since I cant bake for christmas. I d love to try your recipe. My husband would love it for sure, nothing chocolaty ever survises for long in my house. 😉

    1. I’ve been playing around with chocolate as well and found that truffles gave me a big bang for my cooking buck. Lots of flavour for very little effort.

      And it’s all Sissi’s fault with her matcha and white chocolate truffles!!! 🙂

      Now I have to go and get more dark and some milk chocolate as I used up almost all of the dark to make rum and raisin truffles and have lots more flavour combinations I want to try out, especially “Christmassy” ones involving cranberry, candy cane, nutmeg.

      1. If it might cheer you up, you have made me crave for dark chocolate truffles with your rum and raisin treats 😉 I am impatient to see your other festive creations! (I have almost bought dried cranberry today, but when I saw on the package “65% sugar” and “35% cranberries” I was shocked and abandoned the idea. I took a bag of prunes instead 😉

    2. Thank you, Helene. If your husband doesn’t hate prunes, he will certainly enjoy it! Good luck with your unbaked sweets!

  19. Interesting combination. I’ve never had prunes in chocolate although the combination completely make sense. Prunes are soft and a little sweet. They would go so well with some bitter dark chocolate! The dried fruit I like dipping into chocolate is apricot. I love those. But I would also love to try making some prune chocolates next time!

    1. Thank you, Sharon. I think prunes might me similar to apricots here: they are also a bit tangy and sweet.

  20. Dear Sissi

    I remember that my grandfather used to eat prunes everyday for his digestive system and it seemed to have worked wonders as he lived into a ripe old age. I actually like drinking prune juice every now and then and I find that it helps as part of detox too 🙂

    1. I haven’t had yet the “pleasure” to have such kind of health problems, so I still consider prunes as sweet treats (on the other hand if they made once get slimmer, I would have tons every day!). Do you mean the after-booze detox??? There is a Polish Christmas recipe consisting in boiling prunes in water and then the liquid is drunk. I have never liked it (even though I love prunes), but apparently it’s very healthy too.

      1. I didn’t imagine so. From my reading of your blog, I think you are no older than 30 and it that is so, I think you are a very talented person to have been able to concoct such beautiful recipes at such a young age.

        When I was in university, all I could think about was anything but food and cooking.

        1. Well, I’m a bit older than 30, but not 40 yet 😉 Thank you for such a compliment. Actually I loved making cakes in my early teenage years, then at 17 I was vegetarian for a year and my mum refused to cook two separate dishes, so I had to learn savoury cooking too… When I was at the university I didn’t cook much, but as soon as I started to live on my own I started to cook once more.

          1. I wish I took an interest in the kitchen during my university days. I didn’t even know what a garlic looks like during those years but like you, I began to like cooking when I had my own place and thought cooking was really therapeutic and enjoyable.

            1. You are right about cooking in one’s own place. I still remember how much I enjoyed cooking in my first kitchen…

  21. Not only do I know how good prunes in dark chocolate are, I know how popular they are as well. When I lived in Florida, I had a chocolate store. Dark chocolate prunes were one of the best things in the store. The funny thing is if you gave one to someone to try and then asked them what they were eating, they didn’t guess prunes but you had them as a customer for life after they tasted them.

    1. Hi Karen, I’m happy that you know the amazing taste of prunes in chocolate! (Reading your comment I have just thought I must make another batch! at once!)

  22. Thanks for sharing so much about yourself! It’s so fun to learn more about fellow bloggers 🙂 And these prunes are very interesting… must say I’ve never heard of dipping them in chocolate, but sounds good!!

  23. Pingback: Yule Log (Bûche de Noël) | Five Euro Food

  24. I absolutely love the idea to coat prunes with chocolate because I love both ingredients…!! It’s also interesting to learn more about you, Sissi, thank you for sharing :)!!

  25. Moje ulubione slodkosci! Od zawsze kochalam sliwki w czekoladzie 🙂 Tylko z temperowaniem czekolady mam zawsze maly problem, nie jest potem tak blyszczaca jak bym chciala; ale wszystkiego ponoc miec nie mozna ;))

    Bon dimanche!

    1. Bea, ja nawet nie mysle o temperowaniu, bo jestem zbyt leniwa. Temperowane czy nie, tak samo smakuja 😉 Bon dimanche à toi aussi !

  26. Hi Sissi, just dropping in to share that I made your delightful prunes in chocolate yesterday to rave reviews from the family! I think we have a new holiday hit. Thanks so much for your continued inspiration Sissi. I hope you’re having a beautiful day 🙂

    1. Hi Kelly! Thank you for this wonderful message which has made my Sunday (or rather the whole weekend!). I am very happy you and your family liked my prunes.

  27. Yay you did the tag! really good to read all your answers! I;ve learnt so much about you! that wine part really does come as a surprise! sadly, macaroons (and meringues) are one of the few things I really don’t like, and I’ve even tried the pierre herme one before ):

    1. Yes, finally! Sorry it took me so much time. I also hate meringues and used to hate macarons when I thought they were dry and terribly sweet (like meringues). Pierre Hermé’s macarons are so soft and not excessively sweet that I am crazy for them. However, I never buy macarons just from any pastry shop because they are usually awful. Have you tried a fresh macaron? The flavour you usually like? Because there are so many flavours to choose from…

  28. This was so fun to read Sissi. Good for you for not picking someone. That was the toughest question. I too would like to do a tour. You’d be right after Charles or before him depending on the tickets, ha. Oh that would be a pricey trip. Need more miles!

    1. Thanks, Greg. I am very flattered and you are most welcome (Charles is about 1 hour plane from my city!). I couldn’t pick just one person! There are so many of you who cook fantastic dishes!

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