Fruits and nuts go together beautifully, throw in some chocolate and you have the perfect sweet treat. These nutty stuffed apricots are my take on a classic Turkish dessert but in nibble style.
Turkish style nutty stuffed apricots
These nutty stuffed apricots are a super quick and easy foodie gift to make for Christmas.
Perfect for that last-minute prezzie for a foodie friend when you’re caught on the hop or maybe need a hostess gift when visiting friends for a festive supper.
Turkish stuffed apricots
This a traditional dessert in Turkey. Actually this is where most of our dried apricots come from.
In its dessert for the dried apricots are rehydrated then stuffed with pistachios and a flavoured cream then doused in syrup.
Type of dried apricots
While I usually try to avoid things with additives in my cooking this is one time I make an exception.
Dried apricots traditionally are beautifully bright orange/apricot in colour. This is actually because they have been treated with sulfur dioxide to preserve their colour and freshness.
You can buy non-treated dried apricots that taste just about the same but the big difference is their colour. These dried apricots are brown.
I want that lovely golden colour for my nutty stuffed apricots so I opt for the standard dried apricots not the non-treated kind.
Ingredients for these stuffed apricots
For one box/bag/tin of these nutty stuffed apricots I used 20 dried apricots
20 whole blanched almonds
30 unsalted shelled pistachio nuts
50g/2 oz good quality chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
and some sea salt flakes
How to make nutty stuffed apricots
This isn’t so much a recipe as a construction job. So simple you can get the kids to make these a gift, maybe even for their favourite teacher.
However having said that dry toasting the nuts is definitely something you want to do yourself and not let children handle.
Toast the nuts in a dry pan over a medium heat for just a minute or two. They can burn very, very easily so do not answer your phone or nip to the loo.
You will know when they are ready when they just turn golden and release that gorgeous nutty aroma.
Also remember to tip the toasted nuts out of the pan as soon as they are ready. If you leave them in the pan the residual heat will continue to cook them and they could well burn.
Nobody wants to have burnt nuts! Sorry, couldn’t resist!
Presenting the present
Look around for nice ways to present your foodie gifts. I got this little box years ago and it makes the perfect holder for my nutty stuffed apricots. They look pretty in a jar too so you could use one of those preserving jars with the wire locking system and wrap a pretty ribbon round it. Old vintage tins are also good but make sure that you put the nutty stuffed apricots in a plastic bag or wrapped in baking parchment so they are not in contact with old metal.
How long will stuffed apricots keep
These nutty stuffed apricots will keep for up to a week.
I originally created this recipe for my Naughty And Nice Foodie Gifts For Christmas Ebook where you’ll find over 50 great recipes for your hampers this Christmas.
Merry Christmas!
Looking for more fun and easy sweet treats to make at home? Then check out these recipes before you go;
4 ingredient chocolate whisky truffles
Refined sugar-free oat and nut snowballs
Refined sugar free mocha truffles
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Turkish style Nutty Stuffed Apricots
Ingredients
- 20 dried apricots
- 20 whole blanched almonds
- 30 shelled and unsalted pistachio nuts
- 50 g/2 oz good quality dark chocolate 70% solids
- sea salt flakes
Instructions
- Crush the nuts roughly
- In a dry pan toast the nuts for approx 1 minute until just turning golden and aromatic. Watch them like a hawk so they don't burn.
- Make a slit in each apricot and use your finger to make a little pocket
- Press in some of the nut mixture to each apricot but reserve some for decorating
- Press apricots closed as much as possible
- Melt the chocolate in a bowl suspended over gently simmering water but make sure the water does not touch the base of the bowl
- Dip the cut side of the apricots in the melted chocolate and then sprinkle on some of the reserved toasted nuts and some sea salt flakes
- These will keep in a sealed container for up to 1 week
In step 6 above, did you mean to say melt the chocolate, not melt the butter?
Obviously chocolate as no butter in recipe it was a typo