Coconut Dates Pastry Rolls

Dates feature prominently in Middle Eastern cuisine, both in sweet and savoury dishes. As delicious as they are on their own, with a few tweaks and some extra effort they become gourmet delights.

My mother always made almond stuffed dates in Ramadan and for Eid celebration. For me stuffed dates are a pantry staple for anytime healthy snacking. These Coconut Dates Pastry Rolls are inspired by those simple stuffed dates and the Persian date cookies.

I was thinking of quick n easy ideas for festive desserts and starters when I thought of all the puff pastry lying around in my freezer. I must say, to have frozen pastry in freezer is a life saver when you need to make quick snacks and desserts.

I stuffed these particular rolls with desiccated coconut and cardamom powder but you can make so many combinations from other available ingredients too. Walnuts and cinnamon, mixed nuts and dried fruits, cottage cheese and pistachios – all taste great stuffed inside dates.

When you bite into these good looking Coconut Dates Pastry Rolls, you sink your teeth into the crispy crust, then reach the warm and gooey sweetness of dates and finally to find the little crunchy coconut surprise tucked in the centre.

Ingredients:
12 Medjool or any soft dates
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
1 teaspoon green cardamom powder
4 puff pastry sheets (4×4 inch)
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon oil or melted butter.

This Is What You Do:
If frozen, thaw puff pastry sheets on kitchen work too.

Preheat oven at 170 degrees.

Remove pits from dates.

Mix coconut and cardamom powder in a small bowl.

Stuff dates with coconut and cardamom mixture.

Cut puff pastry sheets into three strips each.

Wrap dates in pastry strips. Seal the edges with a little milk and then press lightly so that when pastry puffs up, it remains wrapped around the dates.

Brush rolls with milk all over.

Lightly grease a baking tray. Place Coconut Dates Pastry Rolls on the tray with 2 inch apart from each other.

Bake for 5-7 minutes or till the pastry puffs up and turns crispy and golden.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 12 rolls.