Happy Monday everyone! While you might not all be happy that the weekend is over, do not worry: I’m bringing you a recipe to sweeten the week ahead! In fact, the rose water in those little gems make them so sweet, a single one will be enough to completely satisfy your dessert cravings!

How did I decide to make this? Well, as you might know from my last post, I was in Dubai last weekend. On our way back home, my husband and I grabbed a few boxes of local sweets to give out to friends, and of course, I had to grab one for ourselves (or rather myself 😉 ) too.

The box contained 4 chocolate covered dates filled with different nuts. I loved them so much, I decided I had to recreate them! But also, I was really tempted by the use of rose water which is rather popular in Bulgaria (as the country is quite famous for its roses and is one of the biggest producers of rose oil in the world).

Chocolate Covered Dates Stuffed with
Pistachios & Rose Water

(for 10 dates)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup pistachios (you can also use almonds, walnuts, or another type of nut if you’d like)
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp rose water
• 10 large medjool dates
• 3/4 to 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (again, you can substitute with another type of chocolate)

Directions

1. Place pistachios and sugar in food processor or blender. Process for about 30 seconds or until the pistachios reach a very grainy consistency. (If you don’t have a processor/blender, you can also chop very finely the pistachios.) Transfer to a small bowl, then add the rose water. Start mixing with your hands until everything starts coming together into a kind of nutty dough. (At first it will look as if you need more rose water. As you keep mixing however, you’ll see it’s not the case. If you add too much rose water, it will completely overwhelm the other ingredients.)
2. Take dates and slice carefully each one lengthwise on one side. Remove seed, then gently fill with pistachio mixture.
3. Over medium-low heat, place chocolate chips in nonstick saucepan. Let melt slowly, occasionally stirring with a wooden spoon. In the meantime, place wax paper over a platter. Then, take each stuffed date and dip it in the melted chocolate until it is fully covered. (Use the wooden spoon to help yourself and be careful not to burn your fingers… although it’s a good excuse to lick some of that chocolate!) Place covered dates on wax paper, sliced side up so the pistachio mixture doesn’t stick. If desired, you can decorate with a bit of extra stuffing mixture on top.
4. Once all the dates are covered, place platter in fridge and let cool until the chocolate becomes hard. Remove from fridge 5 minutes prior to consuming, then enjoy! 😉 (Btw: the dates taste even better after a night in the fridge.)