As Ramadan begins, many fasting students may be missing home a little more than usual. The family iftars, or evening meals, meetings at the local mosques and home cooking feel even more distant when Downstein is your first bite after fasting for about 14 hours. However, there is one tradition that I find helps ease the transition to fasting in college — breaking your fast with a date.

Dates are mentioned over 20 times in the Quran — more than any other fruit — and they have great health benefits. They energize, are anti-inflammatory and regulate your immune system. 

In the spirit of health and a taste of home, here are five recipes to keep this holiday staple at the forefront of your post-fast snacking.

Snickers Dates

Ingredients:

• Dates
• Peanuts
• Peanut butter
• Dark chocolate 

Instructions:

1. Pit the dates.
2. Fill each date with about ½ teaspoon of peanut butter and stuff one or two peanuts inside.
3. Place a bar or pieces of dark chocolate into a bowl and microwave in 20-second increments, stirring intermittently until smooth.
4. Either drizzle with — or dip the dates into — the melted chocolate, and put them into the fridge to harden.

A note on dorm cooking: For those who don’t have easy access to a microwave or a fridge, sandwiching the date between two squares of chocolate can be just as satisfying. All of the toppings and fillings should be available at local convenience stores like the Market at Sidestein.

Dark Chocolate Cheesecake Dates 

Ingredients:

• Dates
• Mascarpone cheese
• Graham crackers
• Dark or white chocolate

Instructions:

1. Pit the dates.
2. Crush the graham crackers.
3. Thoroughly mix graham cracker crumbs with mascarpone cheese.
4. Stuff each date with the mascarpone cheese mixture.
5. In a bowl, place dark or white chocolate and microwave in 20-second increments, stirring intermittently until smooth.
6. Either drizzle with — or dip the dates into — the melted chocolate, and put in the fridge to harden.

A note on dorm cooking: For those who don’t have easy access to a microwave or fridge I instead recommend making a sort of s’more with this one. Open a date, spread in mascarpone and sandwich it between a piece of chocolate and a graham cracker for the easiest and quickest fix.

Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates 

Ingredients:

• Dates
• Goat cheese
• Crushed walnuts
• Honey

Instructions:

1. Pit the dates.
2. Generously spread goat cheese in the center of each date.
3. Sprinkle the dates with crushed walnuts and drizzle honey on top.

A note on dorm cooking: Honey and walnuts should be available at convenience stores; however, goat cheese may require a trek to Trader Joe’s or your local grocer.

Fig and Feta Stuffed Dates

Ingredients:

• Dates
• Fig jam
• Apples
• Feta

Instructions:

1. Pit the dates.
2. Finely dice the apples. 
3. Fill each date’s center with fig jam and diced apple.
4. Sprinkle some feta on top.

A note on dorm cooking: Apples should be available at any dining hall, and feta can be found at the salad bar. However, fig jam is an investment you’d have to make at your nearest grocer. It is shelf stable though, so it’s an ingredient that can be used throughout the month.

Ranginak-inspired Dates

Ingredients:

• Dates
• Crushed walnuts
• Butter
• Oil
• Flour
• Cinnamon
• Shredded coconut, optional
• Edible rose petals, optional
• Pistachios, optional

Instructions:

1. Pit the dates.
2. Stuff the center of each date with walnuts.
3. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet with ½ tablespoon of oil, then add a ¼ cup of flour.
4. Stir the mixture until it has a deep golden color — this will take 10 minutes, but watch for color because it can burn rather quickly.
5. Spoon the mixture over the dates.
6. Sprinkle with cinnamon and your choice of toppings: shredded coconut, edible rose petals or pistachios.

A note on dorm cooking: this one does require a stovetop. Butter packets can be taken from dining halls, but it may work better to buy a stick. Flour, cinnamon and walnuts can be purchased at any grocery store.

Contact Taylor Grace Heller at [email protected].