Stuffed dates are the perfect appetizer for your special Valentine this year. These delicious, gooey bites of sweet warm flavor are a simple treat that will leave you longing for more.
When Bill and I were discussing our Valentines Day dinner menu, I thought this would be the perfect time to try out a new finger food, dates stuffed with goat cheese. We first heard about stuffing dates with goat cheese from our friend Liz over at Cave Girl Eats. Dates are number one on our list of ‘sweet tooth satiating’ treats, and the idea of stuffing them with rich, creamy goat cheese, and then baking them sounded absolutely amazing. Bill wasn’t so sure if he would like them, but I just ignored his hesitation. I knew he didn’t have a clue how much he WOULD like them.
We added a slight twist on our version of the stuffed dates. We had some left over pecan meal (just pecans that we ground up in the food processor) in the pantry, which I thought would be delicious sprinkled over the cheese stuffed into the dates. As I predicted, Bill couldn’t get enough of this new treat. He snapped a few killer shots of the finished product, and then went to town on all those warm and gooey dates!
Ingredients:
- 12 medjool dates
- 3 oz goat cheese
- 1/8 cup pecan meal (or finely chopped pecans)
Process:
- Turn on your ovens broiler and move an oven rack to the top.
- Slice dates lengthwise to remove pit and create and opening for the date.
- Stuff date with goat cheese.
- Sprinkle with pecan meal.
- Place dates on a parchment lined backing sheet and broil for 3-4 minutes.
Whether you are enjoying these dates as an after dinner treat, as an appetizer for your special someone, or as finger food for house guests, you wont be disappointed. This recipe is simply delicious.
Those look AWESOME. I've only ever had stuffed dates with an almond inside, then everything wrapped in bacon.
As for stuffing other fruit, I had fresh figs with blue cheese and baked much like your dates above. Recommend!
Oh, PECANS! I love, love pecans. They are by far my favorite nut in texture and flavor. These look fantastic! I've tired of the bacon-wrapped dates at this point and was wondering what should be on deck…this is it!
I love that the dates are vehicles for the cheese.
I thought cheese was NOT paleo?
@Angie- the right type of cheese, in moderation is fine so long as you don't react to it. When you allow for dairy on a Paleo diet, you want to look for raw, aged, organic dairy, and from a local farm is best.
Do you have to buy fresh dates or can you buy them dried?