Dates Stuffed with Roasted Pine Nut Butter
Freshly made roasted pine nut butter lends creaminess and nuttiness to its container here, the naturally sweet and chewy dried date. Although you can stuff a whole date, I think half is better for these rich little bites. This easy nondairy recipe makes enough for a party, but you can always stuff a few dates at a time to enjoy as needed. And the decadent pine nut butter can be used any way you’d use a peanut or almond butter, only it tastes so much better. Medjool dates are typically very large and sweet and so ideal here, but other date varieties will work, too.
- 1 cup pine nuts toasted
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 20 about 12 ounces dried pitted Medjool dates
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the pine nuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, jostling the pan once or twice, for 5 to 7 minutes, until lightly browned. Let cool.
In a small food processor, process the toasted pine nuts, sugar, and salt until smooth. Chill in freezer about 20 minutes to thicken.
Meanwhile, split the dates in half lengthwise, and arrange hollow side up on a platter.
Spoon about ½ teaspoon pine nut butter in each date half. Serve.