Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Dates with Blue Cheese and Almonds - the perfect snack or appetizer to serve at a cocktail party or as a pre-dinner snack.
I love snacky little appetizer things. I don't usually make them at home, except for special occasions.
It always seems that little appetizers are so much work, often because each little piece needs to be assembled somehow - skewered, wrapped, stuffed, or something. In this case, two of the above.
These Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Dates with Blue Cheese and Almonds were totally worth it though.
I got the idea to make them at a tapas restaurant called Boqueria in Washington DC. As soon as I tasted them, I knew I needed to try and recreate them at home.
How to make Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Dates:
The ingredient list is short. You only need 4 things:
- blue cheese (a softer one is easier to work with)
- almonds (I use plain, unsalted roasted almonds)
- bacon (choose regular vs thick-sliced bacon whenever you're making anything bacon-wrapped for easier wrapping)
- dates (look for the fresh ones you find in the produce department, vs the dried ones that you would find in the baking aisle)
You can make as many or as few as you want, just scale the amount of ingredients accordingly. The recipe I provided is to make 24 - 4 pieces each for 6 people.
They aren't difficult to make, but they are a little tedious. I made 42 pieces, and it took me roughly 44 minutes to stuff the dates (to watch your favorite TV show on Netflix), plus additional time to wrap them in bacon.
Before wrapping the dates with bacon, you need to partially cook the bacon. You can do this however you like to cook bacon - I prefer to cook mine in the oven.
Just make sure you pull it off the heat long before it gets crispy. If you wrap the dates with raw bacon, the dates will burn before the bacon is done cooking.
If you precook the bacon too much, it will be difficult to wrap the dates. You're going for a happy medium here. After the bacon is partially cooked, let it cool until you can handle it.
You will want to hold a few dates up to the bacon to assess how you're going to cut it.
I had large slices of bacon so I cut it in half width-wise. I wrapped 3 dates with each half of the bacon, for a total of 6 dates per slice.
If your bacon is small or your dates are large, you may only be able to do 3-4 dates per slice. Use your best bacon judgment.
When you're done with the wrapping, you can either let the stuffed dates hang out in the fridge until you're ready to use them, or bake them immediately.
Just make sure to keep a close eye on them so they don't burn. Trust me, no one wants to eat a burnt date. And that is a waste of good bacon.
I ate these sweet-salty-crunchy morsels with a glass of nice red wine, and it was the perfect combo. I'll definitely be waiting for another opportunity to make these again.
Bacon-Wrapped Dates Nutrition Notes:
These tasty treats are relatively high in calories and fat due to their high fat, calorie-dense ingredients - cheese, nuts, and bacon. Eat in moderation.
Want more Appetizer Recipes?
Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Dates with Blue Cheese and Almonds
Ingredients
- 24 dates
- 3-4 oz blue cheese at room temperature
- 24 almonds
- 4 slices bacon
Instructions
- Using your preferred method to cook bacon, partially cook the bacon. Make sure it is still pliable when you remove it from heat. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel and set aside to cool.
- Using a paring knife, cut a slit into each date. Into each date, stuff a ball of blue cheese and one almond.
- Hold a stuffed date up to a slice of bacon to assess how to cut the bacon for wrapping. For large slices, cut in half width-wise, then cut each half into thirds. For smaller pieces, cut each slice of bacon into thirds.
- Wrap dates with bacon pieces. Place stuffed, wrapped dates onto a baking sheet with the seam side down.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake for 8-10 minutes until bacon is crisp, being careful to check dates regularly so they don't burn. Cool slightly and transfer to a plate to serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer: I try my best to make sure the nutrition information I provide is accurate to provide you with the best information possible. However, due to ingredient discrepancies and other factors, the above nutrition information should be considered an estimation only.
Dennis Kennedy
Do you roast the. Almond before
Carissa
I think using either roasted, or un-roasted almonds would both work fine for this recipe.