Moroccan Almond-Stuffed Dates
Stuffed dates are the sweet that closes a Moroccan celebration, set out with mint tea at weddings and at the end of Ramadan across the Maghreb. The filling is almond paste, a marzipan usually built from ground almonds and a heavy dose of sugar syrup, tinted and perfumed with orange flower water. This version keeps the ground almond and the orange but drops the sugar entirely: a few mashed dates bind the almond flour into a paste that is sweet enough on its own, since dates are most of what makes the whole confection sweet in the first place. Fresh orange zest and juice stand in for the orange flower water, and a coat of toasted almonds finishes each one. They take some patient shaping but no cooking to speak of, and a plate of them looks far more elaborate than the effort suggests. Serve them small, with tea or coffee.
Ingredients
- 23 wholes Medjool dates, 20 pitted for filling, 3 pitted and mashed for the paste
- 3/4 cup Almond flour
- 1 whole Oranges, zested, plus 2 tbsp juice
- 1/2 tsp Ceylon cinnamon
- 2 tbsp Almonds, toasted and finely chopped, to finish
Method
- Make the paste: mash 3 of the dates to a smooth pulp, then work in the almond flour, orange zest, cinnamon, and enough of the orange juice to bring it together into a stiff, moldable paste. The mashed dates are the binder, doing the job of the sugar syrup in a traditional almond paste with the fiber left in.
- Toast the chopped almonds in a dry pan until golden and fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes, and set aside. Toasting deepens their flavor so a small amount reads as rich.
- Split each of the remaining 20 dates along one side without cutting through, and open it like a book. Dates vary in size, so open a large cavity in the big ones and a smaller one in the rest.
- Roll the paste into small logs and press one into each date, doming it above the top. Pinch the date closed around the base so the filling sits proud, the way these are traditionally shaped.
- Press the exposed paste of each date into the toasted almonds so they stick. Chill for 15 minutes to firm up, then serve. They keep a week in the fridge, and the orange comes forward as they sit.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 150 calories, 3 g protein, 3 g fiber, 5 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
