Posted on
by 
1 Comment Dates are quite famous and have increased in usage I think over the last couple of years. And with good reason as sweet dates are a delicious snack and can be transformed in finger food easily. My favorite dates recipe is this one for stuffed dates. Easy to make and perfect for the holiday season, a dinner party or just because you feel like eating them.
Stuffed dates
If I remember correctly, the first time I ate stuffed dates was at my parents’ house. That in itself is special, because my mother was not that adventurous, so the fact that we were eating dates was special, and the fact that they were stuffed was even more special. Wrapped in bacon and stuffed with cream cheese. That was my first introduction to stuffed dates.
And of course it is still a great way to eat dates as a snack. Here I also stuffed some with cream cheese. Still a top combination!
Although dates are very sweet, they are a relatively healthy snack. The amount of fibre in dates means that the sugar they contain is processed more slowly in your body. This is good and prevents sugar spikes. However, this advantage disappears if you process the dates in something like a smoothie. You will find quite a few date recipes on the site.
What do you put in the dates?
If you want to stuff dates with a delicious filling. The choice is endless. Think about creamy goat cheese, blue cheese, peanut butter (with a bit of spicy honey…hmmm) For filling them you need the whole date and preferably pitted dates. You can do that yourself but it’s not my favorite job. I always use large size medjool dates as they are the softest and most delicious for this kind of snack.
One thing to know is that you are use the dried fruit here and not the fresh fruit. Fresh dates are quite different and the ones you would normally use are dried.
In this stuffed dates recipe I use three things to fill them: peanut butter (with nuts), cream cheese and goat’s cheese. Instead of the peanut butter you can use your favorite nut butter. You cut the dates open, fill the center of each date with about a teaspoon of your filling and I then sprinkle a little extra on top. Think some pretty pistachio, cocoa powder, flaky sea salt or something similar. I love a little drizzle of honey on some fillings.
You can then sprinkle the stuffed dates with various toppings. I always like the pretty green pistachio. It gives a nice colour to everything else and is tasty too. But you can also use pomegranate seeds, walnuts, a pinch of cinnamon or cocoa, chopped chocolate, bacon and fresh herbs.
Can the stuffed dates be made in advance?
Yes, they can. You can clean the dates, remove the stone and slice them carefully in half (but still keep them attached to one another). Stuffing them in advance is also fine. Cover with cling film and refrigerate until ready to serve. Sprinkle the toppings on top at the last moment. This is more convenient and keeps them crunchy (if using them).
Stuffed dates
Ingredients
- 15 Medjool dates
- 50 gr cream cheese
- 3 tbsp peanut butter
- 3 tbsp soft goat’s cheese
- 1 tbsp pistachios finely chopped
- 1 tbsp pomegranate
- 1 tbsp bacon chopped
- 1 tbsp dark chocolate grated
How to make the stuffed dates
- Remove the stone from the dates and cut lengthwise. Don't cut all the way through so that they stick together.
- Stuff the dates with the filling of your choice. Arrange on a plate.
- Garnish with the topping of your choice. Repeat until all the dates are used up and refrigerate for 20 minutes or until ready to serve.
Nutrition Information per portion:
Disclaimer:
The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.
Have you ever stuffed dates? It’s a perfect little snack and with some colorful topping it is a great party snack as well.