Ay Caramba, La Cucaracha!

I found a new object for my peanut butter obsession. It's what The Fitnessista calls a cucaracha (which is Spanish for "cockroach") and what Megan might respond to with a deserved "Holy yum!" To me, it looks a little bit like pooh (appetizing, I know), but tastes like anything but.

What is this beast of beauty? A date stuffed with peanut butter! I'd seen this tasty treat while trawling my favorite blogs, but had never tried it -- until last night. I grabbed five Medjool dates from Safeway's bulk bin, then made up one of these little puppies.

It was amazing. Seriously. You need to try this. Now. If you don't have dates or peanut butter in the house, go get some this very second. It's that good. If you're lucky enough to have a Medjool date and a favorite peanut butter hanging around, try out this delectable little snack.

A Date Made in Heaven

1 dried Medjool date
a spoonful of your favorite peanut butter (about 1/2 T)

With a sharp knife, carefully slice the date in half so that it hinges open like a book. Ignore the screaming -- the date doesn't know it, but it will all be over soon. Too soon, you'll be thinking in about 23 seconds.

Remove the pit from the date. Take a small spoonful of your favorite peanut butter -- I used plain Jif, but I imagine specialty flavors like curry or cinnamon raisin or chocolate would also taste ridiculously awesome -- and smear it down the center of the opened date. Smoosh the sides of the date together so that the peanut butter oozes over the top.

Sit down if you are not sitting already. This step is important. Do not skip it!

Devour.

Swoon with delight.