Stuffed Dates

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​This is what 2 stuffed dates looks like...

The opening of a new eatery in our little hometown is all the reason that we need to plan a date night where the goal is to sample as much of the menu as possible. 😅  And that is exactly what we did last night at The Brown Fig.   

Yummy drinks.  Unique menu.  Delicious food.  Live music.  A warm and welcoming atmosphere.  And a line of customers out the door, eager to experience this new restaurant.  And they haven't even had their official grand opening yet!!

You can imagine that by the time we ate all of that amazing food, we came home from our date, absolutely stuffed.  (You didn't really think I'd pass up the chance to make that pun on a stuffed date blog post, did you?) 🤣 

Stuffed dates are my new favorite hors d'oeuvre.  They're simple but elegant.  Casual but still fancy enough to serve at formal affairs.  The mascarpone and cream cheese filling is the perfect filling for the hollow fruit.   The drizzle of maple syrup adds just the right amount of sweetness and I love the crunchy pecans sprinkled over the top. 

Stuffed Dates
24 Medjool Dates
8 ounces Mascarpone cheese
4 ounces cream cheese
1 Tablespoon maple syrup
2 Tablespoons chopped pecans

Slice dates in half and remove pits. 

Cream together mascarpone cheese, cream cheese and maple syrup.

Fill piping bag with cheese filling and pipe into empty dates. 

Sprinkle pecans on top.  

Place under broiler until toasted. 

The first time that I made these, I served the stuffed dates on a charcuterie-style appetizer platter. The dates paired perfectly with the assortment of cheeses and sliced meats, marinated anti-pasta skewers, grapes, breadsticks and crackers.  

I used a combination of mascarpone and cream cheeses.  If you prefer one cheese over the other - you could use all cream or all mascarpone cheese for your filling.  I like the idea of changing up the toppings on my stuffed dates too.  Fresh herbs, bacon, hazelnuts or even a drizzle of honey all sound like good options for these bite sized appetizers.  

​Ciao!