Marzipan Dates – A Vintage Christmas Treat

Don’t miss this easy vintage recipe for Marzipan Dates, the perfect Christmastime snack. With just two ingredients, you can whip up these delicious treats, perfect for snacking or sharing at holiday gatherings.

The History of Marzipan Dates

Marzipan Dates are a part of Christmas every year in our family, and the recipe holds lots of happy memories for us all.When my husband was little, his maternal Granddad Pip made these delicious treats every Christmas. They became the stuff of memory, and every year my husband makes a big batch in honour of his Granddad and those days gone by.

Like my husband’s Granddad, these treats were Victorian and Edwardian in origin. They would have been referred to as ‘sweetmeats’ when Granddad was growing up, and were often eaten at the end of a meal. (Sweetmeats originally referred to offal, but from the Victorian era the word came to mean sweet, candied or glacé fruit).

When my husband was a little boy, Granddad Pip him how to make these sweets. As soon as our son was old enough to handle a knife safely, my husband passed the recipe along. They have made together them every year ever since.

That’s my husband and son making Marzipan Dates back in 2010 in the photograph above. The photo below was taken more recently!

How to Make Marzipan Dates – a Delicious Gift From The Kitchen

This recipe could not be easier to make, and packaged in pretty containers these treats make a lovely homemade gift. Marzipan is available ready made, and is usually sold in small square blocks.

Choose nice fat dried dates for this recipe. Medjool dates work well. You can buy dates that have already had the pits removed, but it is more frugal to buy them with the pits still in, and it is not difficult to remove them. However if you are making these with children, remove the pits first as this task does require a sharp knife. Always be careful when using knives.

Of course, you don’t need exactly 18 dates or exactly 5 ounces of marzipan. This recipe is very flexible.

Is This Recipe Gluten Free?

Dates are gluten-free and most marzipan is too. Be sure to check the ingredients list on your marzipan carefully if you need them to be gluten-free.

Dates contain fibre, protein and antioxidants so these treats are kind of healthy too. That said, both dates and marzipan are both high in sugar, so they are definitely a treat.

Marzipan Stuffed Dates – Printable Recipe