If you are in need of an impressive cocktail party appetizer, a showstopping finger food for your cheese charcuterie board, or to perfect light dessert to serve after dinner, these mascarpone stuffed dates are just what you need. They are easy, quick, and addictively delicious!
Need more appetizer inspiration? Be sure to also check out our Bread Dipping Oil, Cheese Apple Appetizer, and Hot Goat Cheese Dip.
Ingredients
To make this stuffed dates recipe, you will need dates, mascarpone cheese, chopped nuts (I used a combination of walnuts and pistachios), pomegranate seeds, and honey.
When buying dates, look for fresh, plump, and large Medjool dates that are usually sold in the refrigerated section of your grocery store. You can buy pitted dates or remove the pits yourself.
Ingredient Substitutions & Optional Add-Ins:
- Cheese: You can substitute mascarpone with any spreadable soft cheese. My favorite ones are goat cheese and cream cheese. Alternatively, you can stir in ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract in the cheese to make it even more flavorful.
- Nuts: You can use any nuts here. I like to stuff my dates with walnuts and salty pistachios, but almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, and pecans would also be lovely. If you have the time, roast your nuts in a skillet for a few minutes for extra flavor.
- Fruit: Pomegranate arils are wonderful to add a pop of color, but you can also use candied and chopped oranges or dried cranberries.
- Honey: You can use maple syrup or agave nectar. Or, if you want to make it sugar-free, omit using any sweeteners.
- Flaky Sea Salt: This is optional, but if you want to take it up a notch, you can sprinkle each mascarpone-filled date with a little flaky sea salt (such as Maldon salt (affiliate link))
How To Make This Recipe?
There are only a few steps to making this finger dessert. However, I recommend getting all your ingredients ready before starting so that you can quickly put them together.
- Remove pits: Using a paring knife, slice dates lengthwise, being careful not to cut them all the way through. Remove the pits and set them aside.
- Stuff with cheese: Using a small spoon, stuff each pitted date with a teaspoon of mascarpone cheese.
- Garnish: Dip the filled dates into the bowl with pomegranate seeds. Gently press them so that they will stick to the cheese.
- Sprinkle: Dust each stuffed date with chopped walnuts or pistachios. Set them onto a plate.
- Drizzle: Drizzle the mascarpone-stuffed dates with a tablespoon of honey. Serve!
How To Make Ahead and Store?
The best part of this sweet stuffed dates recipe is that you can make it ahead, and it also stores well. Here’s how I do it:
- To Make Ahead: You can pit the dates, stuff them with cheese, dip them into the pomegranate seeds, and store them in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to two days in advance. Sprinkle them with chopped nuts and drizzle them with honey right before serving.
- Storage: Leftovers will keep fresh for up to 3 days as long as they are stored in an airtight container in the fridge. They make the perfect snack or afternoon pick-me-up.
Expert Tips:
This easy recipe is pretty self-explanatory, but here are a few tips to help you succeed on your first try.
- Room temperature: If you make these ahead of time, I recommend bringing them out 30 minutes before serving, as they taste best when they are served at room temperature.
- Piping bag: You can multiply this recipe as many times as you want. And if you decide to make a larger amount, I recommend using piping or a pastry bag (or a Ziploc bag) instead of using a spoon. Simply fill your bag with mascarpone and fill each date one by one.
- Mascarpone filling: I find that a light drizzle of honey is all you need to sweeten the already sweet dates. However, if you prefer yours sweeter, you can mix honey with mascarpone and use that honey mascarpone mixture as your filling.
- Warm dates: An earlier version of this stuffed dates dessert recipe was made by first drizzling dates with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and then warming them up in a 350-degree preheated oven for 10 minutes. If you prefer to serve them warm, you can follow those steps. However, after literally making this recipe for over 10 years, I feel like the room-temperature stuffed dates are just as good.
FAQs
Any mild-flavored soft and spreadable cheeses would pair well with dates. Goat cheese, mascarpone, and cream cheese are a few to name.
You can stuff dates with nuts, nut butters, soft cheese, and chocolate.
Yes, you can. Simply pop them in a preheated 350 F oven for 10 minutes to warm them up.
Other Party Appetizers You Might Also Like:
- Blackberry Baked Brie
- Muhammara
- Poached Pears with Mascarpone
- Need more inspiration? Check out all our appetizer recipes
If you try this Mascarpone Stuffed Date recipe, please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It is a great help to others who are thinking of making the recipe. And if you took some pictures, be sure to share them on Instagram using #foolproofeats so I can share them on my stories.
Mascarpone Stuffed Dates Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 Medjool Dates
- ½ cup Mascarpone cheese
- 4 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
- 3 tablespoons walnuts, or pistachios (or both) chopped
- 1-2 tablespoons honey
- ¼ teaspoon flaky seas, such as Maldon salt, optional
Instructions
- Cut each date lengthwise making sure to not to cut them all the way through. Remove and discard pits.
- Fill each date with a teaspoon mascarpone cheese. Dip the stuffed dates into the bowl with pomegranate seeds. Gently press them so they will stick to the cheese.
- Dust each stuffed date with chopped walnuts and/or pistachios. Set them on a plate.
- Drizzle them with honey and if using, sprinkle them with some flaky sea salt. Serve!
Notes
- I recommend prepping all the ingredients before starting to assemble. I usually put each ingredient in a small bowl so that I can put them together quickly.
- You can multiply this recipe as many times as you want. If making a larger batch, you can fill a piping bag with mascarpone to help you stuff dates faster.
- To Make Ahead: You can pit the dates, stuff them with mascarpone, dip them into the pomegranate seeds, and store them in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to two days in advance. Sprinkle them with chopped nuts and drizzle them with honey right before serving.
- Storage: Place leftovers in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Warm dates: An earlier version of this recipe warmed the dates in the oven before stuffing them. In this updated version, I decided to skip that step as I think it is an extra step that is not necessary. However, if you prefer that version, feel free to follow the steps below:
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Place dates on a small baking sheet. Drizzle them with olive oil.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes in the oven. Let cool on the counter for 5 minutes. Fill each date with a teaspoon of mascarpone cheese.
- Top the dates with honey, pomegranate seeds, and walnuts. Sprinkle them with flaky sea salt. Serve!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made these today for a dinner party and they were fabulous! The only thing I changed was that I used herbed goat cheese since that’s what I had in the fridge. This recipe was so simple, easy to prep in advance and were absolutely delicious. Don’t skip on the drizzle of honey and sprinkling of flaky sea salt. It’s well worth it!!
This is music to my ears Tamara. I am thrilled to hear you liked it.
Thanks for coming back and taking the time to leave a review.
Cheers,
Aysegul