Chef Zohra
Amlou (أملو)
A glossy Amazigh almond paste from the Souss, made with toasted almonds, real food-grade argan oil, and honey. Spread it on warm khobz, pass the jar, and make room at the table.
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Dattes Fourrées (تمر محشي)
Created by
Soft Medjool dates split and filled with orange-blossom almond paste, the kind of small sweet that waits beside mint tea when the Eid door keeps opening.
Desserts
Moroccan
Holiday
Celebration
Make Ahead
45 min
Active Time
5 min cook•50 min total
Yield30 stuffed dates
The date opens with one cut, and you don't cut all the way through. That matters. The fruit must stay whole enough to hold the almond paste, like a little boat, soft at the edges and glossy under your fingers.
Dattes fourrées are not pastry. They are a confection, the date carrying the almond, the almond carrying the orange blossom. Make the paste firm enough to shape but not dry, because a dry paste crumbles and a wet one weeps into the fruit. La balance est dans les yeux, the scale is in the eyes: add the orange blossom water a spoon at a time and stop when the almond holds together.
These go on the tea tray for Eid, weddings, and visits when you know people will arrive in waves. You can make them ahead, line them in little paper cups, and bring them out with mint tea. Une table, c'est une porte qu'on laisse ouverte, a table is a door you leave open, and a plate of stuffed dates is an easy way to keep it open.
Morocco's date culture is rooted in the oasis regions of Tafilalet, the Drâa Valley, and the Ziz Valley, where date palms supported Saharan trade routes for centuries. Stuffing dates with almond paste belongs to the wider Moroccan festive sweet table, especially in Fassi, Andalusi, and Jewish-Moroccan repertoires where almonds, sugar, and orange blossom water mark celebration. The exact dating of the confection is not fixed, but the pairing reflects old trade: oasis dates meeting almonds, sugar, and flower waters from Morocco's urban pastry traditions.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
Medjool dates, preferably Moroccan mejhoul
Quantity
30 large
soft and unbroken
whole blanched almonds
Quantity
250g
skins removed
icing sugar
Quantity
90g, plus 2 tbsp
plus extra for finishing if desired
unsalted butter
Quantity
1 tbsp
softened
orange blossom water
Quantity
1 1/2 to 2 tbsp
ground cinnamon
Quantity
1/4 tsp
fine sea salt
Quantity
1 small pinch
walnut halves or blanched almond slivers (optional)
Quantity
30
for finishing
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Medjool dates, preferably Moroccan mejhoulsoft and unbroken | 30 large |
| whole blanched almondsskins removed | 250g |
| icing sugarplus extra for finishing if desired | 90g, plus 2 tbsp |
| unsalted buttersoftened | 1 tbsp |
| orange blossom water | 1 1/2 to 2 tbsp |
| ground cinnamon | 1/4 tsp |
| fine sea salt | 1 small pinch |
| walnut halves or blanched almond slivers (optional)for finishing | 30 |
Equipment Needed
- •Food processor or almond grinder
- •Small paring knife
- •Wide tray for setting the dates
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the dates
Wipe the dates with a barely damp cloth. Cut each one lengthwise on one side only and remove the pit, keeping the date hinged and whole. If a date tears apart, keep it for the cook. The good ones should open like a small mouth, ready to hold the almond.
- 2
Dry the almonds
If your almonds are freshly blanched, spread them on a tray and let them dry completely, or warm them in a low oven for 5 minutes and cool them. Do not brown them. Dry almonds grind into a clean paste; damp almonds turn heavy before the sugar can disappear into them.
- 3
Make almond paste
Grind the almonds with the icing sugar, cinnamon, and salt until fine. Add the softened butter, then the orange blossom water a spoon at a time, working until the paste gathers when pressed between your fingers. Stop there. Orange blossom should perfume the almond, not drown it.
If the paste feels sandy, add a few drops more orange blossom water. If it feels sticky, work in a spoonful of ground almonds or icing sugar. - 4
Fill the dates
Roll small pieces of almond paste into short ovals, about the size of the pit you removed but a little fuller. Tuck one into each date and press the fruit gently around it so the almond shows in a neat line. Don't overfill. The date should look generous, not split open from pride.
- 5
Finish and set
Press a walnut half or almond sliver into the paste if you like, or leave the almond paste plain. Dust very lightly with icing sugar, then let the dates rest for 1 hour so the almond firms and the orange blossom settles into the fruit.
- 6
Serve with tea
Arrange the stuffed dates in small paper cups or close together on a shared plate. Serve them at room temperature with mint tea, when the sugar has softened into the almond and the dates are glossy to the touch.
Chef Tips
- •Use soft, fresh dates with skins that still shine. No gesture rescues a dry date here, because the whole sweet is the meeting of soft fruit and almond.
- •Orange blossom water should smell clean and floral, not like perfume. Add it slowly. The almond paste must hold its shape in the date.
- •Coloring the almond paste green or pink appears on some celebration trays, but it isn't required. If you use it, use only a drop. The date and almond should still be what you taste.
Advance Preparation
- •Make the stuffed dates up to 5 days ahead and keep them in an airtight tin in a cool room, or refrigerate if your kitchen is warm.
- •Bring them to room temperature before serving so the dates soften and the orange blossom comes forward.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 39g)
Calories
145 calories
Total Fat
6 g
Saturated Fat
1 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
5 g
Cholesterol
1 mg
Sodium
5 mg
Total Carbohydrates
23 g
Dietary Fiber
3 g
Sugars
20 g
Protein
3 g
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