My sister in-law, Anne, first shared this recipe with the family many years ago. Anne was way ahead of her time with the bacon. I mean, now bacon is the king of all flavors…actually I’m a little traumatized by all of the bacon hoopla…chocolate dipped bacon? Why?Anyway, Annie knew what she was doing when she told us to take a piece of bacon, wrap it around a date, secure with a toothpick, and then bake until the bacon was crispy. It seemed a bit in the gray area for me at the time, but after my first bite my flavor world exploded into a beautiful rainbow of colors. Smokey and sweet, crunchy and chewy; perfect combinations of flavors and textures.
Now, of course, there are recipes galore for stuffed bacon wrapped dates, with the stuffings ranging from ultra chic to plain and simple. Guess which ones catch my eye.
Today I stuffed the dates with plain cream cheese, cream cheese with chopped jalapeno, and crumbled blue cheese. My favorite was the cream cheese with chopped jalapeno. The flavors were really fun together, like a party with all of my best friends. Every element had its own personality–the sweet date, the smokey bacon, the smooth and slightly tangy cream cheese, and the ‘just right’ heat from the jalapeno. I kept saying, “Oh! This is so good!” John’s favorite was the blue cheese and Katie liked the plain cream cheese; so, there was something for everyone.
I chose to use Medjool dates, which I find in the produce departments of my local grocery stores. These are my favorite dates because of their large, plump size and their wonderful sweetness.
Pitting the dates is very easy; just take a small knife, make a slit on one side down their length, and take out the large seed. Put a little bit of the stuffing mixture in the hollow where the pit used to be, close the two sides together, and wrap the date will a half-strip of bacon. Insert a toothpick to hold everything together.
Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Dates
Ingredients
- 16 medjool dates
- 8 slices thin-cut bacon, cut in half crosswise You will need one slice of bacon for every two dates
- 4 ounces, weight cream cheese (1/2 cup), softened
- 1 1/2 tablespoons canned or jarred jalapeno peppers, chopped small
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400-degrees F. Line a baking pan (with raised sides) with foil. Set aside.
- Pit the dates by making a single slice lengthwise down one side of the date and removing the pit. Do not cut the dates completely in half. Set aside.
- Blend the diced jalapenos and cream cheese together. Adjust the quantity of jalapeno to your personal taste.
- Fill the cavity of each date the cream cheese filling (see notes). Fold the dates back together and wrap with a piece of bacon, slightly over-lapping the bacon ends. Secure with a wooden toothpick pushed through the date.
- Place prepared dates on foil lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Turn the dates over and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until bacon is well browned.
Notes
- plain cream cheese
- whole, toasted almonds
- blue cheese crumbles
- goat cheese or other cheeses
Nutrition
You may also like:
Cream Cheese Marshmallow Fruit Dip
Spinach Artichoke Jalapeno Dip
Hot Crab Dip
That’s funny. I thought she didn’t like bacon. Jeff loves dates, but bacon (and dates) is beyond our budget this week. 🙁
Becca, I know just how you feel about the bacon being out of the budget. When John was in school we couldn’t afford bacon, either. After he graduated and got his first job, we got so excited because we could finally put bacon and orange juice on the shopping list. It felt so decadent!
The first time my friend Tilly Spivey made these for a wardroom function back in Misawa, Japan, I was so wary of the bacon & dates together. And then magic…I took a bite…and then another…and then I made them years after for every appetizer event. But then I forgot…and now I remember again how much I loved them…bacon & all. But yes, Becca, I don’t normally like or eat bacon but I do make sure that the appetizer pieces I eat are very crispy…every last speck.