Bacon Wrapped Dates

Bacon wrapped dates with creamy goat cheese and crisp bacon bake in just 20 minutes for an appetizer that everyone will love. Make the holiday season extra special with this sweet and salty recipe.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 20

Total Time 40

Servings dates

Calories 157kcal

Author John Kanell

Equipment

Baking Sheet
Parchment paper
Toothpicks

Ingredients

20 Medjool dates (390g)
1 (4-ounce) log goat cheese (113g)
10 slices regular bacon halved crosswise (340g)
Ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Slice the dates down one long side and remove pits. Open the dates slightly (like a book) and fill each with about ½ teaspoon of goat cheese. Press the cut sides together to close completely.
Wrap each date in a piece of bacon, overlapping the two ends. Secure it with a toothpick by inserting the toothpick in the overlapping ends of the bacon and through the center of the date so that it sticks out on both sides. Place the wrapped dates in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the bacon is crisp, flipping halfway through. Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle with pepper. Serve immediately.

Notes

Use regular bacon. Thick-cut bacon will not render and crisp making it chewy, so stick with regular-cut bacon for this recipe.
Set the goat cheese out to soften ahead of time. The goat cheese will be easier to spoon into the dates if you set it out at room temperature for a few minutes before starting the recipe. The easiest way to fill the dates is to use two small spoons to transfer the softened cheese.
Press the dates closed to seal in the cheese. After filling the dates with the goat cheese, press them closed to enclose the cheese so that it stays inside while baking and does not seep out onto the baking pan.
Secure the bacon with toothpicks. To prevent the ends of the bacon from burning, use a toothpick to secure the bacon around the dates. This also helps the date hold in the cheese filling. As an added bonus, the toothpick makes serving these super easy!
Cut bacon into thirds for a crispier result. If you prefer the bacon more crispy than chewy or if your dates are smaller, cut the bacon into thirds instead of cutting each piece in half.
Flip the dates halfway through baking. Don’t forget to flip the dates over after about 10 minutes, or halfway through baking. This will help the bacon to cook and crisp evenly. If you notice one side of the baking sheet is cooking faster, rotate the sheet when you return it to the oven.

Nutrition