Naughty and Nice — Festive Nibbles for Eggnog and Cognac (or Coffee and Tea!)

The holidays are full of moments you don’t want to end; like when the turkey and stuffing has been devoured, the cookies and fruitcake (for some—you know who you are) has been enjoyed. You just want that last little nibble—or two—to delight and enjoy with your after dinner beverage, and we  have two recipes guaranteed to satisfy everyone: Tiramisu Stuffed Medjool Dates and Medjool Date Almond Butter Boats.

These are a snap to make and are also the star of any dessert buffet or cookie plate. 

Tiramisu Stuffed Medjool Dates

These scrumptious bites will delight tiramisu and coffee lovers alike!

12 Natural Delights Medjool Dates, pitted

¾ cup (170 g) of mascarpone cheese

1 tbsp (15 mL) honey

1 tbsp (15 mL) cocoa powder

2 tsp (10 mL) espresso powder

Slit all Medjools lengthwise so they can be filled, being careful to keep them intact.

In a bowl, stir together the mascarpone cheese and honey. 

Fill a piping bag with the mascarpone mixture to a piping bag (tip choice is preference, just nothing too big). If you don’t have a piping bag you can just spoon the mixture into the dates. Pipe or spoon mixture into each date.

In a small bowl, combine cocoa powder and espresso powder and using a small sifter, sift mixture over top of stuffed Medjools.

Store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.

Makes 12 bites

Medjool Date Almond Butter Boats

These festive Medjool Date Almond Butter Boats are the perfect post-dinner nibble!

6 Natural Delights Medjool dates, pitted

¼ cup (60 mL) almond butter

¼ cup (60 mL) fresh pomegranate arils

¼ cup (60 mL) white chocolate, melted

Slit all Medjool dates in half lengthwise to form a “boat.” Pipe a small amount of almond butter into the middle of each date boat and sprinkle each date boat with the pomegranate arils.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler, stirring as needed. Be careful not to overheat.

Using a fork, drizzle the date boats with the melted white chocolate.

Makes six boats; this recipe can be easily doubled or tripled.

Medjool dates are a pure and wholesome superfood picked straight off the tree at the peak of ripeness. Plump and naturally sweet, the only things added are sunshine and water. Grown at the intersection of California and Arizona, a perfect microclimate along the Colorado River, Natural Delights Medjool Dates are a nourishing portable snack that provides long-lasting energy, full of antioxidants, potassium, and fibre.

They are also a nutritious and natural replacement for processed sugar in baking. While Medjool dates are high in natural sugars, they are low on the glycemic index thanks to a balanced amount of soluble fibre. The complex carbohydrates found in Medjool dates are digested at a slower rate, making them a source of dietary fibre and releasing energy to the body over a longer period of time.

Holiday Gift Giving

Small gift ideas are often the hardest to come up with, but not this year! Available in time for the holidays and just the right size for teachers and co-workers, Dark Chocolate Covered Medjool Dates make the perfect gift. Each box contains 8 individual Medjool dates covered in dark chocolate and sprinkled with sea salt for a decadent treat.

Visit naturaldelights.com for beautiful, easy holiday recipes!

 

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@NDmedjooldates