Save them for Christmas and make all kinds of baked goods and granolas.

What bumblebeez said.

Also good in 'snack' mixes.

With raisins, dried cranberries, walnuts, a little coconut, etc.

Rusty

Save for holiday baking, or make cookies, etc. now, and freeze if you have the room. Yummmmm.

Recently, I wrapped them with a piece of prosciutto, stuck a toothpick in them and served them as an appetizer. Everyone loved them. You can also add a little cream cheese to them.

How about sticky toffee muffins.

Sticky Toffee Muffins
=====================

1-1/2 cups pitted dates, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup water, boiling hot
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 cups flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup heavy cream

Caramel Sauce
1/2 cup White Sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup butter
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Pour boiling water over dates. Add baking soda. Stir and leave to cool.

Heat oven to 350°.

Cream butter and sguars until pale. Beat in eggs one at a time. Combined flour, salt, and baking powder. Mix into batter, add date mixture and cream. Do not over mix. Spoon into muffin tins that have been lines with paper liners. Bake for approximately 25 minutes.

While the muffins are baking, prepare the caramel sauce.

Add everything except the vanilla to a sauce pan. Bring to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla.

To serve, drizzle caramel sauce over muffins while they are still warm.

Here is a link that might be useful: Thibeault's Table

Oh! That was just mean Ann_T!!! (just kidding)

I am sitting here at work, counting the minutes until I leave and we're meeting DD#2 for dinner.
I'm hungry and you post the yummy looking caramel sauce!!

Sheesh..........I think I'll just have dessert first!

Looks delicious, BTW!

On topic: I also freeze dates for use later.
My mom raves about the date shakes in Palm Springs.
I wonder if you could make jam? With a little vanilla!

Deanna

Nancy:
Put them in zip lock bags; if they are dried, until you figure out what to do.
They will keep for almost a year.
Lou

This sounds like a weird combination of ingredients but these have been a popular at parties whenever I've made them.

SAVORY DATE RUGELACH Â makes 4 dozen

1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups walnuts, divided
4 oz. blue cheese, cut into cubes
48 pitted dates (about 12 oz.)
1 large egg white
1 tsp. water

Dough:
In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat butter and cream cheese until creamy. Stir in flour and salt just until blended (or use mixer on low speed). Divide dough into 4 equal pieces; flatten each into a disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

Filling:
In food processor with knife blade attached, pulse 1/2 cup walnuts until finely chopped; reserve in small bowl. In same food processor, pulse blue cheese and remaining 1 cup of walnuts 7 to 8 times or until a coarse mixture forms.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large cookie sheets with foil; grease foil.

On floured surface with floured rolling pin, roll 1 disk of dough into a 10-inch round. Cut into 12 equal wedges. Beginning 1 inch from outside edge, sprinkle ½ cup blue cheese mixture in 2 Âinch wide ring on dough, leaving dough exposed in center. Place one whole date crosswise on wide end of each wedge. Starting at wide end, roll up each wedge, jelly-roll fashion.

Place rugelach, 1 inch apart, on cookie sheets, point side down. Repeat with remaining four dough disks. In small bowl, beat egg white and water. Brush rolls with egg white and sprinkle with reserved walnuts.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until golden, rotating sheets between upper and lower racks halfway through baking. Let stand for a minute or two and then transfer to wire racks to cool. Store in a tightly covered container at room temperature up to 3 days.

To make ahead: Arrange unbaked rugelach in single layer in jelly roll pan; cover and freeze until firm. Remove from pan and place in freezer containers with waxed paper in between each layer. Seal and freeze up to 3 months. About 45 minutes before serving, preheat oven to 350.

Line 2 large cookie sheets with foil; grease foil. Arrange frozen rugelach on prepared cookie sheets and bake 35 to 40 minutes or until golden.

Invite some friends over and make these:

Ricotta Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Dates
These are the new pigs in the blanket and way better. They're a classic tapas but they never get old. And I spruced them up just a bit with a touch of ricotta cheese.

1 pound (about 12 to 13 slices) bacon, preferably thick-cut
25 Medjool dates (about 3/4 pound)
1/3 cup ricotta cheese
Special Equipment: toothpicks, a bamboo skewer for removing pits

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Cut the bacon in half lengthwise to make twice as many slices. Set aside. To remove the pits from the dates, cut the tips off each end of the dates and insert the flat end of the skewer until it pushes the pit out of the date. Repeat with remaining dates.

Place the ricotta in the bottom corner of a strong plastic bag and seal tightly. Use scissors to cut a small hole in the tip of 1 of the corners. Now use the bag like a piping bag to fill the dates with the cheese.

Wrap the ricotta stuffed dates with a slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick through the belly of the date. Arrange all the prepared dates on a parchment-lined baking sheet, allowing at least a little space between each one for good browning. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes or until bacon is browned and crispy. Remove from the baking sheet and gently remove toothpicks. Serve immediately.

Make date shakes with vanilla ice cream and milk in the blender. I don't know the proportions, but I think you can make it with vanilla yogurt instead of ice cream.

I love the dates I get when I go to Palm Springs and Indio. There are roadside stands around Indio, and they sell several varieties of dates. When they are fresh, they are still a bit moist and have a better texture.

Lars