Welcome to a delightful journey of flavors with our Stuffed Dates recipe! These bite-sized treats are the perfect combination of sweet, nutty, and utterly delicious. With just a handful of simple ingredients, you can create a snack or dessert that’s sure to impress.
To make these Stuffed Dates, all you need are some high-quality Medjool dates, unsalted butter, raw walnuts, raw almonds, honey, cinnamon powder, and a touch of orange zest to elevate the flavors (if you’re feeling fancy!). And if you’re in the mood for a little extra indulgence, we’ll even show you how to drizzle them with semi-sweet chocolate for an irresistible finish.
With our easy-to-follow instructions, you’ll learn how to prepare the dates, stuff them with a delectable mixture of nuts, honey, and spices, and optionally add a decadent chocolate drizzle on top. Whether you’re looking for a healthy snack to satisfy your sweet tooth or an elegant dessert to impress your guests, these Stuffed Dates are sure to hit the spot.
So, let’s dive into the kitchen and create a batch of these irresistible treats together. Get ready to enjoy the perfect blend of sweet, nutty goodness in every bite! 🍯🥜✨
What is Baklava?
Baklava is one of the most popular Middle Eastern pastry made with Phyllo dough, nuts, honey, butter, and spices. To make Baklava, sheets of phyllo dough are brushed liberally with butter and layered in a pan. It has a filling of chopped nuts- either pistachios or walnuts. The phyllo with the nuts filling is baked in the oven and then drenched in a syrup of honey, lemon, and spices.
Baklava recipes differ from region to region in the Middle East. No matter the recipe, they all taste delicious to me.
Ingredients you’ll need to make Stuffed Dates
- 20 pieces of good quality Medjool dates
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup unsalted raw walnuts, chopped
- 1/3 cup unsalted raw almonds, chopped
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 1/2 teaspoon orange zest (optional)
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional for drizzling)
How to make this easy Stuffed Dates dessert
- To make the baklava filling- Heat butter in a small pan. Keep the flame to medium-low, let the butter melt, and change color slightly to brown. Brown butter has a slightly nutty taste and aroma.
- Add the nuts to the browned butter and stir to cook for 2 minutes. Turn off the flame and add honey, cinnamon powder, and orange zest if using. Stir to combine. Let the baklava mix cool for 10-15 minutes before filling the dates.
- If using unpitted dates, remove the pits from the dates to prepare them for filling.
- Use about 1 teaspoon of the baklava filling to stuff the dates.
- The drizzle of chocolate is optional but gives a nice touch to the stuffed dates. Place the stuffed dates on a plate to drizzle with chocolate.
- For the chocolate drizzle, melt chocolate in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, till melted. Take a small spoon with chocolate and drizzle the chocolate over the stuffed dates. Place the chocolate-drizzled stuffed dates in the refrigerator for 1 hour to cool and harden the chocolate.
- Stuffed dates can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 4 days and up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Best eaten at room temperature.
Recipe Tips to Make Stuffed Dates
Follow these tips to make the best version of this stuffed dates recipe.
- Use the best quality dates available. I like to use Medjool dates which have a rich, almost caramel-like taste and a soft, chewy texture.
- The chocolate drizzle on the stuffed dates is completely optional but gives a nice chocolate touch to the dates without overpowering it. If you are short on time, you can skip the chocolate drizzle step.
- I have used a mix of walnuts and almonds to make the baklava filling for this recipe. You can also include pistachios. Use any combination of the three nuts to total two-thirds cup of nuts for the recipe.
Some more ideas to stuff dates
You can create this stuffed dates recipe by using the following stuffing:
- For a healthy snack or sweet treat, stuff dates with almond or peanut butter and cover in melted chocolate.
- For a fancy appetizer, you can stuff dates with goat cheese mixed in with a bit of honey.
- For a slightly different take on the Baklava stuffed dates, you can use any pieces of nut brittle (chikki) to stuff the dates with. It will give a nice unexpected crunch when you bite in the dates.
FAQs – Baklava Stuffed Dates
I would not call these stuffed dates recipe low calorie, but it is certainly a healthier option than other sugar-packed desserts. Dates are a naturally sweet fruit, and we are using a bit of honey in the Baklava stuffing.
Yes absolutely. Just replace honey in the baklava filling with maple syrup to make this recipe vegan-friendly.
You can store stuffed dates in an airtight container at room temperature for 4 days and up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Best eaten at room temperature.
Other Baklava and Dates recipes to try
Recipe Card – Baklava Stuffed Dates
Stuffed Dates Recipe
Discover the perfect blend of sweet and savory with our Stuffed Dates recipe! Using high-quality Medjool dates, butter, walnuts, almonds, honey, cinnamon powder, and optional orange zest, this recipe promises a flavor explosion in every bite. Plus, if you’re feeling extra indulgent, you can even drizzle them with semi-sweet chocolate for an added touch of decadence. With just a few simple ingredients and easy-to-follow steps, you’ll have a delicious treat that’s sure to impress.
20
servings20
minutes5
minutesIngredients
20 pieces Medjool Dates
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup raw unsalted almonds, chopped
1/3 cup raw unsalted walnuts, chopped
2 tablespoons Honey
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon powder
1/2 teaspoon Orange zest (optional)
1/2 cup Semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional for drizzling)
Method
- To make the baklava filling- Heat butter in a small pan. Keep the flame to medium low and let the butter melt and change color slightly to brown. Brown butter has a slightly nutty taste and aroma. Add the nuts to the browned butter and stir to cook for 2 minutes. Turn off the flame and add honey, cinnamon powder, and orange zest if using. Stir to combine. Let the baklava mix cool for 10-15 minutes before filling the dates.
- If using unpitted dates, remove the pits from the dates to prepare them for filling.
- Use about 1 teaspoon of the baklava filling to stuff the dates.
- The drizzle of chocolate is optional but gives a nice touch to the stuffed dates. Place the stuffed dates on a plate to drizzle with chocolate.
- For the chocolate drizzle- Melt chocolate in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, till melted. Take a small spoon with chocolate and drizzle the chocolate over the stuffed dates. Place the chocolate-drizzled stuffed dates in the refrigerator for 1 hour to cool and harden the chocolate.
Stuffed dates can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 4 days and up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Best eaten at room temperature.
Tips
- Use the best quality dates available. I like to use Medjool dates which have a rich, almost caramel-like taste and a soft, chewy texture.
- The chocolate drizzle on the stuffed dates is entirely optional but gives a nice chocolate touch to the dates without overpowering it. If you are short on time, you can skip the chocolate drizzle step.
- I have used a mix of walnuts and almonds to make the baklava filling for this recipe. You can also include pistachios. Use any combination of the three nuts to total two-thirds cup of nuts for the recipe.
