3-Ingredient Bacon Wrapped Dates | Gimme Some Oven

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My favourite bacon-wrapped dates recipe is made with (truly!) crispy bacon, tender Medjool dates, and stuffed together with your alternative of cheese. Straightforward to make and at all times a celebration favourite!

Bacon-wrapped dates. ♡

I’ve made this 3-ingredient simple appetizer extra occasions than I can rely for blissful hours, dinner events, vacation gatherings…you title it. It’s a kind of recipes that magically works for almost any event and is at all times assured to be a crowd favourite. And I personally simply discover that sweet-savory-smoky taste combo to be perfection. That stated, I’ve developed a couple of opinions over time about what takes a bacon-wrapped dates recipe from good to GREAT. So right now I assumed I’d pop again in and provides my decade-old recipe right here a couple of fashionable updates!

First off, we’ve all formally gotta commit any longer to taking an additional 10 minutes to pre-cook the bacon earlier than wrapping it across the dates. In any other case, the bacon by no means has time to completely prepare dinner and crisp up whereas baking wrapped across the dates (or you find yourself having to bake the dates so lengthy that the cheese burns or oozes out), which is a tragedy that may simply be prevented. Merely pre-cook the bacon within the oven, or you possibly can cheat and purchase that pre-cooked mushy bacon that’s out there in most shops these days.

Second, persevering with on with the crispy bacon soapbox, the stuffed dates have to be flipped midway via baking so that every aspect can get evenly cooked. I’ve experimented with a variety of flipping strategies over time and have discovered it’s merely best to poke the toothpick all over the date, which makes it simple to seize and rapidly flip over.

Third, use a good-quality cheese. You solely want a small quantity for this recipe, however a richly-flavored cheese makes such a distinction in balancing out the flavour of the smoky bacon and candy dates. I’m a fan of a punchy gorgonzola or a tangy goat cheese, however a great feta, Manchego, and even an aged cheddar are additionally nice choices right here.

Lastly, don’t neglect to season the dates! I at all times add a couple of beneficiant twists of freshly-ground black pepper, and likewise love sprinkling every date with a tiny a pinch of flaky sea salt for crunch. The proper end.

Sound good? Let’s stuff some dates!

Bacon Wrapped Dates Elements

Earlier than we get to the complete bacon-wrapped dates recipe beneath, listed here are a couple of notes concerning the components you will want:

• Bacon: I like to recommend fundamental bacon for this recipe — not thick-cut, not turkey bacon, simply good skinny slices of bacon. We’ll pre-bake the bacon within the oven to the purpose that it’s principally cooked but nonetheless versatile, then wrap it across the dates and bake till crispy.
• Medjool dates: It’s vital to make use of particularly Medjool dates for this recipe, whose massive measurement, mushy texture, and scrumptious caramel-y taste work completely on this recipe. When slicing the dates to take away the pits, simply remember to solely lower via the high half of the date in order that the filling is not going to run out the underside.
• Cheese: It’s vital to use a cheese that received’t instantly soften and ooze out of the stuffed dates! I choose a bacon-wrapped dates with goat cheese, a crumbly blue cheese or feta cheese, however be at liberty to make use of no matter cheese you like finest. (Manchego, Parmesan, or a great aged cheddar are additionally nice choices!)
• Flaky sea salt and black pepper: Lastly, I extremely suggest including a couple of beneficiant twists of freshly-ground black pepper to the dates, in addition to a tiny sprinkle of flaky sea salt if you happen to’d like.

How To Make Bacon Wrapped Dates

Full directions for the best way to make bacon-wrapped dates are included within the recipe beneath, however listed here are a couple of further suggestions to remember:

• Don’t overstuff the dates. At all times tempting, I do know. 🙂 However I discover it’s finest to only add a small quantity of stuffing to be able to preserve a pleasant bacon-to-date-to-cheese ratio, and likewise to maintain the stuffed dates sufficiently small that the bacon can simply wrap round them.
• Pre-cook the bacon. Once more, I actually discover that it’s price the additional step of pre-baking the bacon in order that it may be good and crispy as soon as wrapped round and baked with the dates.
• Serve instantly. These stuffed dates can positively be loved lukewarm after they’ve sat out awhile. However when served heat recent out of the oven, the mix of scorching bacon, melty cheese and mushy date is downright irresistible.

Recipe Variations

Listed here are a couple of extra enjoyable concepts that you just’re welcome to attempt with this bacon wrapped stuffed dates recipe:

• Add nuts: Add your favourite nuts (marcona almonds, walnuts or pistachios are my favorites right here) to the middle of the date together with the cheese.
• Add fruit: Add a small fruit (reminiscent of pomegranate arils or dried cranberries) to the middle of the date together with the cheese.
• Add chocolate: Add chocolate chips or a tiny piece of chocolate bar to the middle of the date together with the cheese.
• Add seasoning: Add some dried or recent herbs/seasonings to the cheese stuffing. (I really like including a sprinkle of every part bagel seasoning or herbs de Provence, particularly when utilizing goat or feta cheese.)
• Add scorching honey: My simple scorching honey recipe can be implausible drizzled atop these stuffed dates simply earlier than serving.

Extra Straightforward Appetizer Recipes

Searching for less difficult appetizer recipes which can be positive to be crowd faves? Listed here are a couple of winners:

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