These Mawa Stuffed Dates make an easy and refined sugar-free treat for the festive season. Filled with rose and cardamom scented mawa, nuts and desiccated coconut, these also make great edible gifts!
1/4cupdesiccated coconut powder20 grams + more for garnishing
1/4chopped nutsI use pistachios and almonds + more pistachios for garnishing
1/2teaspoonrose water
1/4teaspooncardamom powder
15-20medjool datespitted
Instructions
Heat a pan on medium heat. Then add crumbled mawa to it. Stir the mawa and cook for around 2 minutes. Then add the desiccated coconut powder and sauté for 1 minute.
Add in the chopped nuts and mix until combined. Then add the rose water and cardamom powder and stir.
Remove the mawa stuffing into a bowl. At this point, check if the mixture binds by pressing it between your thumb and fingers. It should not be too dry and should be a little wet so that it sticks well inside the dates and doesn't fall off. If the filling is too dry, you can add a splash of cream or a drizzle of honey.
If using whole dates with pits, remove the pits first. I have used pitted medjool dates. Make a slit in the center of the dates using a knife (be careful to not cut all the way through). Then using your thumb and index finger, separate the two edges to make space for the filling. Prepare all the dates similarly.
Fill date with the prepared mawa filling. Press the filling firmly inside the date using your fingers and fill all the dates similarly.
To garnish, take chopped pistachios and desiccated coconut powder on a plate. You can also use crushed dried rose petals and edible silver leaves as well. Invert the filled date over the plate of pistachios. And your mawa stuffed dates are ready! You can garnish some with coconut in the same way. Keep them refrigerated and enjoy within 3 days!
Notes
Dip them in chocolate: for a fun variation, you can dip these stuffed dates into chocolate. Freeze the stuffed dates until they are firm. Then melt some chocolate and dip the dates into it. I would recommend using dark chocolate, that will go well here.
Make sure the stuffing is a little wet. If it's too dry, add a drizzle of honey or a splash of cream. It should bind when you press it between your palm.
You can garnish these with dried rose petals. Crush the rose petals and sprinkle on top. You can also decorate with some edible gold or silver leaves.