Toasted Hazelnut and Date Spread
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This Toasted Hazelnut and Date Spread recipe is one you’ll want to add to your favorite recipes for entertaining. It’s positively perfect paired with cheese and charcuterie or spread on crackers or good crusty bread. It also makes a great hostess gift.
Be sure to check out my tutorial on How To Create a Cheese and Charcuterie Board!
Any time we’re invited to someone’s house for dinner or something casual like a game night with snacks, I always like to bring along a hostess gift, a little something as a thank you. Depending on how much time I have it can be something store-bought or homemade. But more often than not it’s something edible – I am a foodie after all.
Edible goodies geared towards entertaining always make great hostess gifts. A few of my favorites include my Sweet Pepper & Onion Relish (a Harry & David copycat recipe that’s amazing mixed with cream cheese and spread on crackers), Peach Bacon Jam (it’s downright heavenly), Giardiniera (a perfect addition to any cheese or charcuterie board or tossed in pasta or salads), spiced roasted nuts, and Gourmet Marinated Olives (a classy gift for any occasions) – the latter two are great for snacking and also perfect accompaniments to a cheese/charcuterie board.
Today’s recipe also makes a terrific hostess gift and is a delicious spread you can pair with your next cheese and charcuterie board or enjoy with some crackers or good crusty bread. The comforting earthy flavor of toasted hazelnuts is sweetened with dates and rounded off with white wine. It’s sure to win over your guests and bring a smile to whomever a jar is gifted!
Toasted Hazelnut and Date Spread Recipe
Let’s get started!
To toast the hazelnuts, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place a few whole hazelnuts single-layered on a cookie sheet on the middle rack and toast for 10-15 minutes until lightly browned and fragrant. Place the hazelnuts in a clean kitchen towel and rub them to remove the skins. Discard the skins and finely chop the hazelnuts once cool enough to handle. Set aside until ready to use.
Finely chop the dates.
Place the dates, water, wine and lemon juice in a medium-sized saucepan and bring it to a rapid boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes.
Stir in the sugar and the pectin and return to a rapid boil for 1 minute. Stir in the hazelnuts and remove from heat.
Pour the spread into a sterilized jar with a lid. Once cool refrigerate and let it sit for at least a day or two before using to allow time for the flavors to meld. Makes about 1 cup of spread.
Serve with a cheese, charcuterie, crackers, baguettes, etc.
Enjoy!
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Toasted Hazelnut and Date Spread
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup chopped dried dates
- 1/4 cup quality white wine
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons cane sugar
- 1 tablespoon Ball Classic Pectin or equivalent
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped toasted hazelnuts
Instructions
- To toast the hazelnuts, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place a few whole hazelnuts single-layered on a cookie sheet on the middle rack and toast for 10-15 minutes until lightly browned and fragrant. Place the hazelnuts in a clean kitchen towel and rub them to remove the skins. Discard the skins and finely chop the hazelnuts once cool enough to handle. Set aside until ready to use.
- Place the dates, water, wine and lemon juice in a medium-sized saucepan and bring it to a rapid boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the sugar and the pectin and return to a rapid boil for 1 minute. Stir in the hazelnuts and remove from heat.
- Pour the spread into a sterilized jar with a lid. Once cool refrigerate and let it sit for at least a day or two before using to allow time for the flavors to meld. Makes about 1 cup of spread.Serve with cheese, charcuterie, crackers or bread.
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet December 4, 2014
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
Is it possible to can this in a water bath for longer preservation?
Hi Cherie, this has not been tested for water bath canning so that is not something I can recommend as being safe.
how long will this keep? I have tried your mango chutney and its a hit with friends who love it when i have a batch ready for them.
Thank you, Dot, I’m so glad you enjoyed the chutney. This spread will keep for at least a couple of weeks in the fridge, probably closer to a month as long as there is no mold.
Will this work w/o sugar and pectin? Thanks.
Hi Maureen, yes and you can also use a sugar substitute. The pectin helps thicken it so while you can omit it, it will be quite runny without it.
thank, Kimberly. As I do not have pectin, any other thickener i can use so i do not have to buy pectin. I will leave out the, thanks!
Hi Maureen, you could just dissolve a bit of cornstarch in a tiny bit of water and add that at the very end to simmer for a minute until thickened to the consistency that you want. And give it a taste to see if it’s sweet enough for you without the sugar. If not, you could either add some more dates or add a bit of stevia or whichever alternative sweetener you normally use.
This looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it!
Oh this would be delicious served on a cheese board too!