The best recipes often come from family and friends and this is one of them. My friend Karen made these stuffed dates for a party years ago and I have been making them ever since.
These dates are a fabulous appetizer on so many levels. Besides being delicious, they are easy to make and can be prepared in advance. No cooking required, so they also make a great portable appetizer.
Stuffed Dates
The dates are stuffed with a mixture of half cream cheese and half blue cheese. In this recipe I used gorgonzola (an Italian blue cheese). The top of each date is then rolled in chopped candied pecans. I love the combination of salty, sweet and crunchy.
I buy my Medjool dates at Costco. They are in the produce section.
You usually can find candied pecans in the canned nut section of your local grocery store (think peanuts and cashews, not baking nuts). My local Kroger sells them under the name praline pecans.
Garnishing Your Platter
I love a pretty presentation and these stuffed dates need a bit of attention. I simply add a pop of color by adding a couple of sprigs of fresh herbs using whatever I have on hand. In this photo, I used fresh thyme.
I also garnish the platter with a sprinkling of chopped pecans.
- Medjool Dates, pitted
- whipped cream cheese
- crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
- candied pecans, crushed*
- Slit the top of each date and remove the pit.
- Place candied pecans in a Ziploc bag. With a meat mallet or rolling pin, crush pecans.
- Mix equal parts Gorgonzola with whipped cream cheese. Amounts will vary depending on how many dates you want to make.
- Slightly open date, stuff with cheese mixture and close.
- If making in advance, stop at this point and store them in an air tight container in the refrigerator.
- A few hours before serving you can roll the top of each date in crushed pecans. Reserve some crushed pecans for garnishing the plate.
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