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Monday, December 6, 2010

Chocolate Praline Stuffed Dates

"We Should Cocoa" posted a challenge for the month of December to blog about a recipe with chocolate and dates. This challenge is hosted by Choclette so a big 'thank you' shout out for making me think what I would like to submit. Although I am a pastry chef, I focus most of my efforts on baking and at first assumed I would use dates in my baking (cookies, cakes, breads, etc...). Since a date is such a wonderful alternative to a processed sugary snack, I decided to use them in their natural form.

Dates are naturally sweet and are high in fiber, magnesium and potassium. The Medjool date is considered to be the finest date grown in the world and this recipe even further enhances it's taste (and nutritional value!).

The recipe that follows will create a wonderful 'pop in your mouth' snack that fits in well with holiday dessert trays. The ganache beurre praline filling enhances the sweetness of the date and adds a slightly nutty flavor. The toasted hazelnuts add some crunch to this snack.


To make these dates you will need the following:
- 24 Medjool dates
- Handful of hazelnuts
- Ganache beurre praline (recipe below)
  • Toast hazelnuts, let cool, and chop finely
  • Make the Rich Ganache (6 ounces semisweet chocolate; 4 ounces heavy cream)
    • Cut chocolate into fine pieces
    • Bring cream to a boil over medium heat and pour over chocolate; let set for 3 minutes
    • Whisk until smooth
    • Cool to room temperature
  • Make the Ganache Beurre Praline (Rich Ganache from above, 2 oz softened butter, 3 oz praline paste)
    • Beat butter with paddle until soft and light
    • Beat in praline paste
    • Scrape bowl and paddle
    • Add cooled rich ganache and beat until smooth (about 1 minute
  • With a sharp knife make a slit on one side of each date and remove pit
  • Fill pastry bag with ganache beurre praline and fill each date with mixture


  • Sprinkle chopped, toasted hazelnuts over the filling
  • Enjoy!!

10 comments:

  1. Great twist to the usual dates. Love the filling and nuts on top...

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  2. Oh, oh, I would enjoy these for sure, they look and sound wonderful. My only issue now is, what can I possibly come up with that will be even as 1/4 as good as these? Thank you for participating in the challenge and especially with such tasty treats as these.

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  3. Thanks for all your kind comments! Choclette - I've seen your work so I don't think you will have much competition! Happy holidays to all.

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  4. Ummmm, I would have never imagined these flavors together (I never think of dates), but this sounds really good. I'll definitely try these out and if they're as good as they sound, they'll be my contribution to the family Christmas dinner.
    Thanks for posting.

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  5. These look too good to be true! Yummy... :)

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  6. Thanks for sharing this recipe as it sounds awesome!

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  7. Love dates and hazelnut praline is a great addition. Yummy!

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  8. Great post, love the idea of the hazelnut praline!

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  9. Yummmm, they look so inviting!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

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