Food & Cooking Recipes Ingredients Fruit 14 Delicious Recipes That Use Dates, From Appetizers to Desserts Try these wonderful ways to cook with dates, from rise-and-shine breakfasts to decadent after-dinner treats. By Lynn Andriani Lynn Andriani Lynn is a freelance writer for MarthaStewart.com. Editorial Guidelines Published on May 27, 2024 Close Photo: Rachel Marek If you’re not sure when you last ate a date, it’s time to re-acquaint yourself with these underrated dried fruits. Dates are not just a wonderful snack, but they’re also great in all manner of dishes, from appetizers to main courses to desserts. They lend sweetness and depth of flavor, akin to what you find in caramel. When heated, they tend to collapse into a jammy slump that’s just delightful with a range of ingredients, particularly nuts and cheese. You can use any type of date in the recipes here, but Medjool are especially worth seeking out for their size and softness. No matter what kind you use, there is one thing that makes these breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert recipes special: it’s a date. 8 Fresh Fig Recipes to Make This Season 01 of 14 Date Bars Yossy Arefi The addition of lemon zest and apple cider gives the date filling in these bar cookies a bright, fresh taste. And the cinnamon-sugar topping includes oats for a bit of texture. View Recipe 02 of 14 Roasted Chicken With Dates, Citrus, and Olives Marcus Nilsson This sweet and tart chicken dinner includes lemon and orange, thyme, green olives, and soft dates. It's a great dish for entertaining, as you can do most of the work ahead of time; and would be delicious served alongside couscous, roasted potatoes, or baguette. View Recipe 03 of 14 Flourless Chocolate-Date Cake With Salted Caramel Glaze Marcus Nilsson Taste this intense cake and you may not immediately know it includes pureed Medjool dates, but they add a wonderfully fudgy texture and sweetness. View Recipe 04 of 14 Shaved Butternut and Carrot Salad With Dates and Sunflower Seeds Ryan Liebe Dates in salad? Why not. The sweet dried fruit pairs beautifully with thin shavings of butternut squash; carrots; roasted, salted sunflower seeds; and baby arugula. View Recipe 05 of 14 Vegan Granola Bars Bryan Gardner These nourishing bars are chock full of goodness, from oats to nuts (pecans and macadamias) to dried fruit (papaya, cherries, blueberries, and dates), not to mention oat bran, flaxseed, and wheat germ. View Recipe 06 of 14 Date-Pecan Pie Johnny Miller The classic Thanksgiving dessert gets a sublime twist here, with pureed dates introducing an unexpected but welcome note of complexity. View Recipe 07 of 14 Date Truffles Bobbi Lin Date paste (essentially boiled water and dates, blended) combines with almond flour, spices, and cocoa powder for rich truffles. Coat them in chocolate and then roll them in pistachios, coconut, or sesame seeds for an eye-catching and unique treat. View Recipe 08 of 14 Dates and Blue Cheese Sharon Radisch Four ingredients are worth much more than the sum of their parts in this delicious appetizer, which combines dates, blue cheese, almonds, and honey to marvelous effect. View Recipe 09 of 14 Lemon-Date Bars Marcus Nilsson These multi-layered bars start with a buttery crust, then a date layer, and finally, a lemon filling. They travel well and serve a crowd, making them a terrific potluck dessert. View Recipe 10 of 14 Devils on Horseback Rachel Marek This retro party food never disappoints, whether you stick with the classic (wrap cheese- and almond-stuffed dates with bacon and bake) or change them up using any of the varieties offered in our recipe. View Recipe 11 of 14 Sticky Toffee Pudding With Toffee Sauce Johnny Miller Not really a pudding, and actually more of a cake, sticky toffee pudding is the perfect way to end an elegant meal. This recipe has you soak the dates in coffee instead of water, giving even more dimension to the rich dessert. View Recipe 12 of 14 Date, Olive, and Goat Cheese Tart Here’s a fun take on a cheese plate: instead of laying out dates, olives, and cheese, bake them onto a puff pastry for an unique hors d’oeuvre. View Recipe 13 of 14 Dark Chocolate-Walnut Date Bar Sidney Bensimon Consider this a giant homemade candy bar, where a textured mix of walnuts, dates, and peanut butter are layered with dark chocolate. View Recipe 14 of 14 Date Bon-Bons With Pistachio Paste Justin Walker An elegant dessert or a sophisticated homemade gift, these treats include pistachios, orange-flower water (or almond or pistachio extract), dates, candied orange peel, and dark chocolate. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit