Algeria - Stuffed Dates and Walnuts

We ran out of Leonidas, so I decided to make these :)
As usual I ended up doing a few adaptations... I didn't have orange flower water, which is a bummer, but it was still very good. I also didn't put the powdered sugar because I thought it would be too sweet. I am sure I'd love that, but Aleks not so much...
It was very easy to make and I was happy I got to use my new toy, aka a handheld blender :)

Ingredients

12 fresh dates

½ cup ground almonds

2 Tablespoons pistachio nuts, very finely chopped

2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

Orange flower water (found at specialty stores)

24 walnut halves

Powdered sugar, to decorate

Procedure 

With a sharp knife, make a slit down the length of each date and carefully remove the seed.

In a bowl, mix together the ground almonds, chopped pistachio nuts, and granulated sugar.

Add enough orange flower water to make a smooth paste.

Shape half of the paste into 12 nuggets the size of date seeds and use to stuff the dates.

Use the remaining paste to sandwich the walnut halves together in pairs.

Sift a little powdered sugar over the stuffed dates and walnuts. Serves best with rich coffee.

Source: http://www.foodbycountry.com/Algeria-to-France/Algeria.html#ixzz3P6BvnsTj