Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or reusable silicone baking mat.
Place dates in a medium bowl. Add hot water to bowl until it just covers dates. Set bowl aside for 10 to 15 minutes to let dates become soft.
Meanwhile in a food processor or blender, pulse oats until coarsely ground. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
Take dates and half of the soaking liquid and place in blender. Puree until smooth. (If dates are not blending easily, add more soaking water until it blends easily.)
Add blended dates, almond butter, coconut, orange zest, orange juice, cinnamon, and salt to bowl with oats. Knead together to make a dough.
Take a small amount of dough and roll it into a ball. Place ball onto baking sheet. Continue until you have rolled all the dough.
Make an indentation with your thumb in the middle of each dough ball to slightly flatten out the dough and leave a well in the middle. Spoon a bit of the fruit preserve into each indentation and chill at least 1 hour before serving.
Notes
I used strawberry preserves in this recipe and it was delicious!