Christmas Appetizers:
Festive Stuffed Dates


These Festive Stuffed Dates are the quickest tasty Christmas appetizers I know!

stuffed dates



These look nice on a tray of Christmas goodies. They taste wonderful, and they are very simple to make.

Making these stuffed dates is a good activity for children. There is minimal mess, and you really can't make a mistake.

Packaged in a fancy Christmas tin, these would make a nice homemade gift.

I won't give you any exact measurements. The beauty of these appetizers is that you don't have to measure at all! You can't go wrong!



Check that you have these staples at home

  • in the cupboard

    • whole pitted dates

  • in the fridge or freezer

    • plain cream cheese
    • pecans

Buy these fresh ingredients

  • cranberries
  • oranges

Get out your equipment

  • Essential

    • a paring knife
    • a small spoon
    • a grater




    The recipe

    whole dates

    plain cream cheese

    grated orange rind

    pecan pieces

    fresh cranberries


    Cut a line along the length of a date, and open it up.

    Mix some cream cheese with grated orange rind.

    Cut any large cranberries in half.

    Using a small spoon, fill the date with the cream cheese.

    Top with a pecan piece or a cranberry (or half a cranberry).

    Repeat and enjoy!



    Substitutions

    • Use whole dates (with pits) and remove the pits yourself.

    • Use walnut pieces in place of the pecans.

    • Use grated lemon rind in place of the orange rind. If you are in a rush, leave the rind out completely!

    Ideas for making this recipe your own

    • Try using a flavored cream cheese.

    • Instead of cranberries, try using dried cherries or raisins or another dried fruit. Or use fresh berries. Be creative!

    Tips

    • Keep nuts in the fridge so that they stay fresh.




    If you enjoy these Christmas appetizers, you may also like these other recipes for Christmas: