Dates Wrapped in Bacon

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There is just something about Dates Wrapped in Bacon that feels super indulgent doesn’t it? Like a naughty treat that you reward yourself with occasionally. The kind of dish that screams ‘celebration’ and special occasion. Well, that’s what comes to mind when we think about the mighty Date, encased in some delicious, crunchy Bacon!

Up until we built this dish, our only exposure to Dates Wrapped in Bacon was at events. Either corporate events or perhaps weddings. Where you’re starting around at a reception before the main thing kicks off and there are servers dashing around with plates of delicious morsels of goodies. I love those events! Of course, mainly for the food! You typically eat the kind of food that you don’t typically eat at home. Or in restaurants to be honest

How to make the perfect Dates Wrapped in Bacon

The great news about this recipe is it’s got to be one of the simplest dishes to make. In fact, it’s so easy that the name of the recipe itself tells you exactly how to make the dish! You simply wrap dates in Bacon, and you’re done!

Ok, it’s slightly more complicated than that, but not by a lot. The trickiest part of making perfect Dates Wrapped in Bacon is stuffing the Dates. We highly recommend purchasing Dates that have already had their seeds removed, which is very common these days. That way, the difficult part has been done for you

If you’ve got Dates with seeds still intact, the easiest way to remove the seed is to make a cut down the center of the date using a sharp knife. A sharp knife is key, because you want the cut to be effortless to avoid hacking up the dates too much

Once you’ve made the cut, it’s simply a matter of pulling the seed out with your hand. The inside of the dates is quite fibrous, so you may need to use a little bit of force to get them out. Once removed, discard the seed, and then fill the Date with as much Cheese as humanly possible. Seriously, really stuff that date! The more filling that you can get into the date, the better the overall result

The Goats Cheese helps to balance out the overall sweetness of the dish

It’s important to get as much Cheese into the date as possible, primarily because of how sweet this dish can become. Dates themselves are very sweet. When combined with cooked Bacon, the sweetness is only intensified even more

Goats Cheese, by contrast, is quite mild, yet has a lovely sharpness and slightly acidic tones. It helps to balance out the sweetness of the Bacon and Dates, which brings the dish into harmony. So, try to stuff as much Goats Cheese as possible into the date before wrapping. Don’t worry if some of the Cheese is coming out; it’ll all get sealed up when we wrap the Date in Bacon

Mastering the art of wrapping Dates in Bacon

The technique of wrapping Bacon around your stuffed Dates is very easy, and a fun one to get the kids involved if you want! Simply lay out your Bacon onto a flat surface and place the stuffed date at the very end of the Bacon Strip

Slowly roll the bacon over the top of the Date and continue to roll the Bacon up until the Date is completely encased in Bacon. It doesn’t matter if the Bacon overlaps, in fact that’s a good thing (it means more Bacon to eat!)

To seal the Dates Wrapped in Bacon, the best technique is to get a small toothpick and simply skewer the entire thing right down the center. Try to place the skewer through the outer end of the Bacon that’s exposed to tuck everything up into a tightly wrapped parcel. Then, it goes into the oven to cook, and you’re all done!

Why aren’t Dates Wrapped in Bacon served in Restaurants?

Who’s ever been to a restaurant where Dates Wrapped in Bacon is on the menu? If so, we’d love to hear about it (comments at the bottom of this article!) Personally, this feels like a big miss for the restaurant industry. Who wouldn’t want to tuck into a delicious plate of sweet Dates wrapped in Bacon, perhaps stuffed with Goats Cheese like this recipe, to kick off a meal? Pair the Dates with some beautiful sparkling wine or Champagne and you’ve got yourself a pretty decent kick off to a meal!

They’re also a super easy dish to make, it takes barely any time to cool and can be quite economical. Anyway, any restauranteurs out there feel free to use this recipe and put the Dates Wrapped in Bacon on the menu!

This is quite a rich dish, so just be wary about portion sizes when preparing. You could probably eat 2 or 3 each before the richness kicks in. So, they’re a great party snack to serve alongside some other delicious appetizers. The good news is we’ve got you covered there. Check out our Appetizers page for more yummy apps to serve alongside these beauties

Dates Wrapped in Bacon Recipe

Ingredients

• 12 Dates, pitted
• 12 Bacon Rashers
• 12 toothpicks
• 60 grams Goats Cheese (approximately 2 oz.)
• 2 tbsp. Honey (optional)
  
  

Instructions

1. Prepare the Dates by slicing an incision lengthwise from top to bottom across one side of the Date. If the dates are pitted already then this should already be done for you. If not, once you’ve made this cut removing the pit is quite simple. Just pull it out!
2. Fill the hole in the Date with a generous scoop of Goats Cheese. You can choose other types of Cheese if you like depending on your flavor preference. Blue Cheese will go well with the Dates and, similar to Goats Cheese offer a lovely contrast to the sweetness of the Date. If you want to go all out, add some Mozzarella for that beautiful cheese pull effect
3. Lay your pieces of Bacon out flat on a chopping board. Place the date at one end of the Bacon and simply roll the date along the Bacon to wrap it. It doesn’t matter if the Bacon overlaps a bit, that just means more Bacon for whoever’s eating it!
4. Place a toothpick through the center of the Date Wrapped in Bacon to secure it in place. An optional step a this point is to brush the Bacon with Honey, like a glaze. This will add more sweetness and richness to the dish. A suggestion would be to try it on half the Dates you’re making to see what you prefer
5. Place the Dates Wrapped in Bacon on a baking tray and cook in the Oven heated to 375 degrees for 10 minutes, or until the Bacon is beautiful, crispy, and golden. Once cooked, remove and let cool for a few minutes then serve
   
   

Let us know how your Dates Wrapped in Bacon went!

We hope you enjoyed our Bacon Wrapped Dates recipe. If you’ve made them yourself or if you’ve got a local restaurant that serves these we’d love to hear from you! Comment below or hit us up on our Instagram, Pinterest, or YouTube page and let us know!

If you enjoyed these tasty Dates Wrapped in Bacon we’re sure you’ll also love these delicious appetizers:

• Filo Lamb Sausage Rolls
• Beef Skewers with Peanut Sauce
• Asian Pork Lettuce Wraps
• Caviar Bump with Blinis
  
  

Happy Cooking!