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These delectable little parcels are perfect for an afternoon treat or to box up and gift to your favorite vegan friend. That's right— a lightly spiced date jam, dark chocolate, phyllo dough, and olive oil are the decadent in their own right (without any butter or dairy). The date jam filling is easy to make and customize based on your preferences and lasts more than a week in the fridge. You may notice the ingredients call for "whole Medjool dates, pitted" vs. the pre-pitted ones you can find in the store. This is because I have found over the years that the pre-pitted ones are dry, often paling in comparison to the plump and caramelly whole ones.
Recipe Card
ingredients
- 1 pound whole Medjool dates, pitted
- Boiling water
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 -1 1/2 teaspoons espresso powder or cinnamon, (optional)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 20 sheets phyllo dough, thawed if frozen
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- Chopped hazelnuts, almonds, or pistachios, (optional)
Method
Step 1
Pour enough boiling water to cover dates completely and let soak for 10 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of the water and drain off the rest. Transfer soaked dates and reserved water to a food processor and blend until smooth. Add kosher salt, vanilla extract, and espresso powder or cinnamon, if using, and process until well combined.
Step 2
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line two baking sheets and your work surface with a sheet of parchment paper.
Step 3
Lay two sheets of phyllo dough horizontally on the parchment paper, then brush evenly with a layer of olive oil. Repeat four more times to use up 10 sheets of phyllo, brushing each with more olive oil. Cut phyllo in half from top to bottom with a sharp knife or a pastry wheel, then cut each half into three equal strips for a total of 6.
Step 4
Spoon 2 tablespoons of date jam slightly off-center of the bottom edge of each strip about 1/2" from the bottom. Top jam with a square of dark chocolate. Grab the bottom left corner and fold it up and over the date jam so it forms a diagonal, then fold the right corner up and over to create a triangle shape. Continue folding, alternating which side you fold each time until pastry is completely enclosed. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining strips. Repeat process with remaining 10 sheets of phyllo dough, date jam, and chocolate.
Step 5
Sprinkle each triangle with chopped hazelnuts, almonds, or pistachios, if using, and bake until golden brown and very crisp, about 25-30 minutes. Let cool almost completely before serving.
Step 6
Store pastries at room temperature in an air-tight container for up to 3 days, refreshing in the oven briefly, if desired.