Easy-to-Make Vintage Confection

Do you remember last month when I noted that some of my groceries would be used to make a vintage recipe? I said at the time that it was for a 1940s treat. I was mistaken. This is a recipe from WW1. It's from the cookbook Win the War, by Reah Jeannette Lynch, published 1918. I found it on archive.org, page 122 in a section on saving sugar.

I finally made this treat this afternoon. They're chocolate-dipped dried fruit.

Bitter Sweets (my batch yielded 11 candies)

I used 1 ounce of Baker's 100% cacao unsweetened chocolate, and 5 1/2 pitted dates.

I cut each date in half lengthwise to maximize chocolate coverage. 

Next I microwaved the chocolate in a custard cup in short bursts (15-30 seconds), stirring periodically.

Once it was completely melted, I used a fork to dip each date half, turning to coat the underside as well. The dipped dates hardened on a sheet of waxed paper.

I loved these. The dates gave just enough sweetness to the confection, while still allowing the dark chocolate flavor to come through. I appreciated that there is no added sugar, and the dates provide fiber and minerals in a piece of candy.

If you enjoy very dark chocolate, this may be just up your alley. And if you're counting calories, one ounce of unsweetened chocolate contains 140 calories, and 5 1/2 dates contain 126 calories, total. So each piece of candy has 24 calories.

If you make this recipe, please come back and share your opinion on these vintage confections.