Delicious date recipes to add to spring holiday menus

Spring holidays such as Passover and Easter are around the corner and dates are a delicious way to bring a fresh taste to holiday celebration menus. Not only delicious, dates are also wholesome, full of nutrition and add texture and a hint of sweetness to a variety of dishes from salads and sides to main meals.

However, many recipes that are trending today don’t just use dates as an addition, but rather as the start of the show. Here are two such must-try examples that are easy, yummy and will delight all ages.

Stuffing dates with nut butter and drizzling then with dark chocolate or stuffing them with cheese and wrapping them with prosciutto are common ways people enjoy dates as a sweet treat or appetizer. Now, a popular way to mix up these classics is with cereal. Here are two examples:

Puffed rice “crispy” date bites — Remove the pit from the desired amount of dates and place the dates on a cookie sheet line with parchment paper. Using the bottom of a mason jar, flatten the dates into a disc. This can be done in a muffin tin as well to ensure uniform size. Melt dark chocolate with a small amount of coconut oil. Then pour in some puffed rice cereal (plain or cocoa flavored) or puffed quinoa. Then top with more puffed cereal or quinoa. Place in the fridge to set, then place on a platter to serve when ready.

Date cereal bars — Using a similar method to flatten the dates as above, form one large “sheet” of dates. They can be overlapped to ensure they stick together. In a bowl, mix cereal of choice (such as corn flakes, Chex or Cheerios) with creamy sunflower seed butter or other seed or nut butter. Spread over the date sheet. Then generously spread a mixture of melted dark chocolate and more seed or nut butter over the top. This mixture should cover the whole sheet. Allow to set in the fridge, then cut into “bars” for an addition to Passover and Easter brunch menus!

The combination of Dubai chocolate and pistachio cream is also still trending, and the flavors are perfect for spring holiday celebrations. Here’s how to use this duo with dates for Easter or Passover treats:

Pistachio cream date cookies — Remove the pit from the desired amount of dates and place the dates on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Using the bottom of a mason jar, flatten the dates into a disc. Then mix pistachio cream with kataifi and spread a layer on each date. Then spoon a helping of melted chocolate over each one. Sprinkle with sea salt, crushed pistachios, and kataifi. Allow to set in the fridge, then serve.

Any of these can also be individually wrapped for Easter baskets and spring holiday hostess gifts. Be sure to stop into the Sphinx Date Co. Palm &; Pantry for the freshest local dates and other Arizona-grown provisions, or order online anytime.