It’s about time we did this, right?
You know, make something bacon-wrapped. Since it’s the name of the blog and all. While I think there are few things that couldn’t be improved when rolled into a little package and wrapped in bacon, bacon-wrapped dates are the O.G. bacon-wrapped indulgence, and for good reason.
These little guys really are the perfect culinary bundle. The natural sweetness of the dates (which get all caramely and roasty in the oven) encases the subtle salty kick of some blue cheese, and the whole beautiful mess is wrapped in crunchy, meaty bacon. They are the perfect party food, both for the host (they are deceptively, almost criminally, easy to prepare and can be easily customized to the amount you need) and the guest (hand-held, one-bite, super satisfying). These are the kind of appetizers that you post up at the food table for, because who would want to be too far away from all this goodness?
For these bacon-wrapped dates, I used a combination of recipes from the Food Network, favoring the ingredients in one and the preparation in the other. Because bacon-wrapped dates have that one-two punch of being both extremely easy to make and extremely freakin’ delicious, recipes abound for these little nuggets, with fillings from ricotta to almonds to whatever else you could think to stuff in the hollowed-out belly of a date. But since I love blue cheese and think stinky cheese, jammy fruit, and bacon is total powerhouse sweet-salty combo, it’s the clear filling choice in my book.
If this isn’t enough to convince you to make this for your next dinner party (or, in my case, random Sunday bacon craving) let me break it down for you:
3 ingredients + 5 minutes prep = THIS.
That is all.
- 12 Medjool dates
- 6 pieces thick-cut bacon
- Blue cheese crumbles
- Preheat your oven to 420°F.
- First, remove the pits from the dates. Using a sharp knife, cut a slit lengthwise down each and simply pull out the pits. Stuff about ½ tsp of blue cheese (or however much will cleanly fit) inside the hole made by pitting the date, then seal the date over the cheese by pressing the ends together. Repeat for all 12 dates.
- Cut the bacon in half widthwise, so you have 12 thick and shorter pieces of bacon. Wrap each piece of bacon around the cheese-stuffed date, and secure with a toothpick. Arrange the bacon-wrapped dates on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing them out a bit so they have room to brown.
- Bake the dates for 15-20 minutes, until the bacon is bubbly, crispy, and cooked through. Remove the toothpicks from the dates and serve right away.
- Cooking technique adapted from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/dave-lieberman/ricotta-stuffed-bacon-wrapped-dates-recipe/index.html.
