Date-Filled Cheese Pastries

Submitted by southern chef in lo

"These are tasty little treats that can be made up to 1 month ahead."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 25mins
• Ingredients: 7
• Yields: 2 dozen

ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon red pepper
• 1⁄3 cup butter or 1/3 cup margarine, melted
• 24 pitted dates
• 24 pecan halves, toasted

directions

1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl, stirring well. Add butter; stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened (dough will be crumbly).
2. Shape dough into ball.
3. Make a lengthwise slit into each date and stuff with a pecan half. press a generous tablespoon of cheese mixture around each date, covering it completely.
4. Cover and chill for 45 minutes (you can cover and freeze dates up to 1 month and thaw in the refrigerator before baking).
5. Place dates on a greased baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 25 minutes. Remove to wire rack and cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Reviews

[askinnycook]

We really liked these-those of us date lovers, that is. Very different app-part savory, part sweet, part chewy, part flaky- just a great combination of contrasting flavors. The second time I made them, I made them smaller since we like a lot of bite sized snacks, as opposed to a few larger ones. I just cut the dates smaller, added a smaller piece of nut and made sure it was covered with the pastry. Yummy!! Try this for something a little different. I also liked that it can be made so far ahead.