Butterflied dates are stuffed with tangy blue cheese (or goat cheese if you prefer), wrapped in bacon and drizzled with a touch of honey before they’re baked. This salty and sweet appetizer was popular in the 1970’s and 80’s but in my opinion is timeless. While bacon wrapped dates may not be the most visually appealing appetizer, it’s absolutely delicious and better yet, easy to make.
This hors d’oeuvre recipe can be served warm or at room temperature and can be easily scaled up or down depending on how many people you need to serve. I always recommend portioning about 2 per person and making extra of these bite size appetizers, they go quickly!
Blue Cheese Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Dates Recipe
Table of contents
Key Ingredients in This Recipe
- Dates – Medjool dates are thumb-sized stone fruits with a caramel-flavor and natural sweetness. Known as nature’s candy, they are a popular export from California’s Coachella Valley. Look for Medjool dates on the larger side as they will be much easier to fill. Look for them in the produce section of the grocery store, not the baking aisle. Many are sold with the pit still inside so remove it before stuffing the date with cheese.
- Bacon – I don’t recommend using thick cut bacon in this recipe since it will take longer for the fat to render and the bacon to become crispy.
- Blue cheese – Blue veined cheeses have a characteristic sharp, salty flavor that complement the sweet dates. Not all blue cheese is created equal! If you aren’t a big fan of blue cheeses try this recipe with Gorgonzola dolce, which is a young, milder and creamy variety of the cheese while Roquefort is great for blue cheese lovers.
- Honey – While the dates are already fairly sweet, the addition of a drizzle of honey caramelizes on the bacon and balances the salty flavor.
How to Make Bacon Wrapped Dates
Step 1: Par bake bacon.
Heat oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and add slices of bacon in an even single layer. Bake the bacon until some of the fat has rendered and it’s pliable, about 8 minutes. Set aside and keep the oven on.
Step 2: Prepare dates.
Remove the pits from the dates then use a paring knife to halve the dates lengthwise without cutting all the way through.
Step 3: Fill and wrap dates.
Spoon a small amount of the blue cheese into the center of the dates, pressing the dates to close them. Wrap each date with a piece of the par-cooked bacon and secure with a toothpick.
Step 4: Drizzle with honey.
Arrange on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, seam side up. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Drizzle with the honey.
Step 5: Bake the bacon wrapped dates.
Bake the dates until the fat has rendered and the bacon is crispy, about 15 minutes.
Step 6: Serve.
If the dates seem greasy, transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Otherwise add to a plate and serve warm or at room temperature.
Tips and Tricks for This Recipe
Swaps and substitutions
- If you don’t prefer blue cheese (it can be a divisive ingredient) I recommend swapping it for goat cheese, cream cheese or Boursin cheese.
- You can swap the for another meat like prosciutto for a different variation. This will reduce the cooking as it’s much thinner and has less fat to render than bacon.
- Try adding some chopped pecans, walnuts or an almond alongside the cheese filling for added crunch.
- You can swap the honey with maple syrup if needed.
- Fresh figs make a great alternative to the dates.
How to Prep this Recipe in Advance
To prep this recipe in advance I recommend assembling and par-baking the bacon-wrapped dates for half the cook time. You can store these in airtight containers until ready to finish baking and serve. They can be prepped up to 2 days in advance.
Other Recipes to Try
If you enjoy this super easy bacon wrapped dates recipe, give these appetizers a try and follow me on Instagram for more updates::
- Steak and Boursin Cheese Crostini
- Lobster and Cheddar Gougeres
- Fancy Mini Latkes
Blue Cheese Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Dates Recipe
PrintPin
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 25 minutes mins
Serves 12
US Customary – Metric
Ingredients:
- 12 slices bacon, halved crosswise
- 24 large medjool dates
- 4 ounces blue cheese
- 2 tablespoons honey
Instructions:
Heat oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and add slices of bacon in an even single layer. Bake the bacon until some of the fat has rendered and it’s pliable, about 8 minutes. Set aside and keep the oven on.
Remove the pits from the dates then use a paring knife to halve the dates lengthwise without cutting all the way through.
Spoon a small amount of the blue cheese into the center of the dates, pressing the dates to close them. Wrap each date with a piece of the par-cooked bacon and secure with a toothpick.
Arrange on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, seam side up. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Drizzle with the honey.
Bake the dates until the fat has rendered and the bacon is crispy, about 15 minutes.
If the dates seem greasy, transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Otherwise add to a plate and serve warm or at room temperature.
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