These easy stuffed dates hail from my grandparents’ Algerian roots. Delicious dates and just 4 ingredients make a wholesome treat that will speak to any sweet tooth, all free of refined sugar!
Core ingredients / Ingredients clefs
- dates: any variety you like — I used Medjool
- blanched almond meal, aka almond flour
- grass-fed (or vegan) butter
- cinnamon powder
- walnut pieces
Recipe origin / Origine de la recette
At the end of Christmas Eve’s big meals, my grandma Danielle would serve stuffed dates mignardises.
Derived from mignon, cute, mignardises are bite-size treats served after dessert. They are like the bow on a gift.
The dates Grandma used were Deglet Noor dates, the slightly skinny kind you often find in Algeria, where my grandparents spent the first 25 years of their life.
It is one of the many foods that stayed with them after fleeing Algeria for France.
Grandma would split the dates open, pit them, and stuff them with a sweet almond paste, or pâte d’amandes (a mix of blanched almond, sugar, and egg white). Each would be crowned with a walnut half.
Laid on a platter, the swollen fruits made for a simple yet elegant finale to the meal.
Healthy adjustments / Des ajustements sains
While almond paste tastes great—the magnetic bitterness of almonds tamed by the roundness of sugar—it is very sweet.
And a sweet filling in a sweet date can be cloying.
Even as a sugar-loving kid, I found it too much.
Now, years later, and inhabited by a strong desire to avoid refined sugars, I decided to keep grandma’s recipe alive but make a more wholesome version.
After a bit of tweaking, this new generation of stuffed dates came out really good.
The idea is to replace the almond paste with a modified frangipane, or almond cream: almond flour and butter, omitting the added sugar.
This way, we add protein and fat to already carb-rich dates.
A little cinnamon powder added to the mix helps bring a sweet, sugar-free edge.
Finally, for the topping, I like using sprouted or roasted walnuts as opposed to raw because I find them less bitter, which would need to be compensated with more sucre.
Shopping notes / Notes d’achats
Dates are grown throughout the world, from North Africa to the Middle East and California. Many kinds are available, and many are good.
But one thing is constant. When buying dates, I’m always mindful of the glucose syrup that lurks in boxes of cheap dates. It adds weight, my mom likes to say.
If the fruits look extra sticky you can bet you’ll see glucose syrup in the ingredients list. Just flip the package to put your heart at ease, en avoir le cœur net.
And there you have it, a bite (or two) of North African flavors, just sweet enough.
It is a nourishing treat that’s especially luxurious around tea with friends, after a draining workout or massage, or at the end of a festive meal.
Bon appétit!
In the mood for more North African flair? Try these:
Almond Cream Stuffed Dates
Ingredients
- 10-12 dates of your choice (7oz) – I used medjool
- 4 tbsp almond flour (24g)
- 1 tbsp grass-fed or vegan butter (14g) – at room temperature
- ⅛ tsp cinnamon – preferably Ceylon but any will do
- 10 walnut pieces – preferably sprouted or roasted
- 1 pinch of unrefined salt – optional
Instructions
- Prepare the filling by measuring the almond flour, butter, cinnamon and pinch of salt in a small bowl. Amalgamate everything with a fork and set aside.
- If your dates look dusty, you might want to give them a quick rinse and pat them dry.Take a date, remove the blossom end, if any, and make a cut in the fruit lengthwise. Remove the pit and replace it with an equal amount of frangipane filling. Close gently and stick a couple walnut pieces in the opening.Repeat with the remaining dates.
- Store airtight in the fridge until ready to eat. They will taste better after letting the flavors meld for a few hours. Enjoy within a few days.
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