OK I know when you hear the word “dates” you aren’t jumping for joy and drooling on spot to read the recipe. But just take a risk with me here and make these, because people will RAVE about them! I tested these at a cocktail party I hosted and 3/4 of my guests had never tried a date before. I kept getting the question, “what are dates, again?” But after they tasted them, everyone loved them and went back for more. Score! On a huge table of food, these disappeared the fastest! I get so much satisfaction when I cook something that someone’s never had or developed a negative opinion about and then they end up loving it.
Dates are technically a fruit that grows on a tree and they are a staple of middle eastern cuisine. They are slightly sweet and taste sort of similar to a raisin. The Medjool varieties are usually larger so I try to find those. Also make sure you buy the pitted version. It saves a ton of time and mess when you don’t have to pit them yourself. You can find these at pretty much any grocery store usually in the produce section.
I made up a filling for these dates with mascarpone cheese and cream cheese, then I added honey and coconut sugar for sweetness and cinnamon for warmth. If you don’t have coconut sugar, feel free to sub brown sugar. They are both very similar but I currently have a huge bag of coconut sugar I’m trying to use up!
Once I make my filling, I spoon it into a piping bag and fill the dates. You don’t need to use a decorating tip for this, just trim the end of the bag and pipe as much filling into the date shell as you can. I had a little filling leftover when I finished this, so you can go heavy on the filling. Orrrr just save the extra in your fridge to spread on toast. Up to you!
I chose to roll them in crushed pistachios I put in my food processor. You could use another nut such as crushed walnuts if you’re not a pistachio fan, but I like the flavor of them and the green is a nice pop of color.
I love how these dates are the perfect size to serve at a cocktail party and only slightly sweet – which makes them totally addicting! I promise if you try these, you will love them!
Mascarpone Stuffed Dates
Ingredients
- 8 oz mascarpone cheese
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 12 oz pitted medjool dates
- 1/3 cup crushed pistachios
Instructions
- Mix together all ingredients except dates and pistachios in a medium bowl with a hand mixer. Taste the filling and adjust if necessary. It should be lightly sweet but not overbearing.
- Slice each date down the middle with a paring knife, careful to only cut through one side of the date, so that you have a shell you can spread apart.
- Stuff the filling into a piping bag and cut the tip off. Pipe filling into the dates, then roll in the crushed pistachios. Serve cold or room temp.
