Pitted dates are Mother Earth’s all-natural candy. These deglet noor dates without the pit are loaded with natural sweetness and can be used for noshing or baking. Our pitted dates are firm and are somewhat drier than Medjool dates. Easy to chop up and include in recipes that call for dried fruit.

4 Surprising Health Benefits of Dates

1) For your five-a-day: Dates provide essential vitamins and minerals - such as B-complex vitamins, magnesium and iron. Only a handful of pitted dates - five or six - will help you meet a 5-A-Day goal for fruit.

2) Edible energy: A serving of California dates contains 31 grams of carbohydrates, making them a powerhouse of energy: three grams of dietary fiber and 29 grams of naturally-occurring sugars such as fructose, glucose and sucrose to provide quick energy.

3) Replenish potassium: Eating pitted dates and drinking water is an ideal, natural way to restore potassium to the body. A serving of California dates contain 240 milligrams of potassium or 7% of the recommended daily value. Bite for bite, they have three times the amount of potassium as bananas!

4) Fabulous for fiber: The American Cancer Society recommends 20-35 grams of dietary fiber a day. A serving of power-packed California dates - five or six pitted dates - can provide 3 grams of dietary fiber. That's 14% of your recommended daily value.