Bacon Wrapped Dates
Bacon wrapped dates are a super easy party appetizer. These are made even better with a special savory rub!
On a recipe blog about foods for entertaining, it’s almost a crime that I haven’t posted bacon wrapped dates until now. They are the ultimate party food. They’re simple to make, taste great and can easily serve a lot of people.
Now it has definitely been done before with variations like almonds, pecans and blue cheese. But what sets this recipe apart from all the others?
I started using a special savory rub with my stuffed shrimp en brochette (another bacon wrapped party food worth checking out!). And now I’m finding myself using it on everything.
Seriously, it’s ridiculously great. It’s the kind of spice rub you’d add to steak or burgers, on shrimp and bacon, or anything that goes well with bbq.
I have begun putting it on everything that involves bacon, so I tried it with bacon wrapped dates. OMG, yes! It takes an already great appetizer to incredibly tasty new levels.
You’ll need 1 TB each of salt, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, seasoned salt, and black pepper, then 1 tsp of paprika. (Don’t worry, this is all in the recipe below). Double or triple this and keep it on hand for spicing up your life in other ways. You’ll thank me later.
But you also likely wont use up all of the rub in the recipe today, so you should have some leftover anyway (again, use it up along with any leftover bacon on stuffed shrimp en brochette).
Making this recipe is pretty easy. You’ll need to pit the dates first. If you make a shallow slice longways along the date, it will expose the center and you can pry it open to remove the pit. This is useful, because it creates a pocket that you’ll then stuff with the goat cheese.
By the way, if you ever find yourself using up too much filling in the beginning and running out towards the end, here’s a helpful tip.
Halve the goat cheese log and the amount of dates. It helps even things out so you can gauge usage a bit easier.
Once done stuffing these puppies, you’ll wrap them and secure the bacon with a toothpick. Make sure you’re only using half a strip of bacon for each. If the bacon is too thick or wrapped too many times, it will never get cooked and crispy, which is half the appeal!
Season them with the rub and pop them in the oven. After a flip and a cook, they will be ready to serve! Remove the toothpicks and serve as is, or poke them with a decorative toothpick for easy grabbing!
What’cha think? Let me know. I love hearing from you!
Until next time. X
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Bacon wrapped Dates
Bacon Wrapped Dates
Bacon wrapped dates are a super easy party appetizer. These are made even better with a special savory rub!
- Total Time: 27 minutes
- Yield: 18 dates 1x
Ingredients
- 9 slices of bacon, cut in half
- 18 medjool dates, pitted
- 4 oz goat cheese
rub
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp onion powder
- 1 Tbsp seasoned salt
- 1 Tbsp black pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a sheet pan with foil, folding the edges to catch grease.
- Stuff the dates with the goat cheese and close them up, then wrap with half a slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick.
- In a small bowl, combine all ingredients for the rub: the salt, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, seasoned salt, black pepper and paprika.
- Generously season all sides of the bacon wrapped dates with the rub.
- Bake on the prepared sheet pan for 12 minutes.
- Flip and cook for an additional 10-12 minutes. Keep an eye in the final few minutes and remove when the bacon is cooked and crispy.
- Let sit for 5 minutes to cool.
- Remove the toothpicks and serve either as is or with a decorative toothpick or skewer for easy grabbing!
Notes
tools
- sheet pan
- foil
- toothpicks
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
