Pitted fresh soft Medjool dates

Melted coconut butter/coconut manna, teaspoon per date

A dash for the dates and a dash for the coconut butter: Orange blossom water from the Persian market ($3) or a dash of OJ or orange oil/flavor

Orange zest from one orange

Optional maple syrup

Soak the dates and the blossom water for about 15min, pat dry. Mix the melted coconut butter with the blossom water or OJ, syrup and zest. Fill the dates. If desired warm them up on a pan and some melted coconut oil or enjoy cold. If desired top with pistachios or roasted almonds

Chocolate variation: omit the blossom water, in a sauce pan melt the coconut butter and stir and cacao powder and maple syrup or coconut sugar to taste making it either milk chocolate or dark chocolate to preference. Stuff the dates, adding nuts such as almonds if desired

*Coconut butter is not coconut oil. Find more info here on Nutiva’s coconut butter page.