Bacon Wrapped Dates
Bacon Wrapped Dates: Stuffed with a crunchy almond & served with airy whipped blue cheese. A sweet & savory flavor sensation! Easy party app.
I’m so excited to be bringing you this easy appetizer recipe today!
Bacon wrapped dates. These used to be a yearly tradition for me on Christmas Eve, but over the years I somehow got away from making them.
So when I made them for you here, I hadn’t had them in a while. And when I took that first bite, it all came flooding back to me.
They are SO GOOD! I mean like, knock your socks off good.
This bacon wrapped date recipe has it all. Salty, crunchy, sweet, jammy-soft, crisp, creamy, savory… it’s an explosion of flavors and textures in your mouth. I really think it might be the best party app in all the land.
That said, I do really love cold crab dip, stuffed mushrooms, and baked brie in puff pastry too. So if you’re in the market for more than one nibble at your holiday celebration…
Table of Contents
- What are bacon-wrapped dates?
- What’s great about this bacon-wrapped date recipe
- What do bacon-wrapped dates taste like?
- Ingredients
- Special equipment
- How to make bacon-wrapped dates
- How to serve
- Expert tips
- Frequently asked questions
- A few more of my favorite hors d’oeuvres recipes
What are bacon-wrapped dates?
These also sometimes go by the name “Devils on Horseback.” (Don’t ask me why ;P)
They are simply sweet pitted dates wrapped in salty, smoky bacon.
You can stop right there. That, in and of itself, is simply spectacular!
However, they’re even better when you stuff the date with a crunchy almond, and serve them alongside an incredible whipped blue cheese dip.
That’s what I’m talking about!
What’s great about this bacon-wrapped date recipe
- Tastes amazing: The combination of flavors and textures is just off the charts!
- Few ingredients: You only need a few simple ingredients to make them.
- Easy to make: The recipe is so quick and easy, you don’t even mind doing it last minute.
- Elevated: These have a naturally sophisticated feel that’s a little more “special occasion” than your everyday chicken wings or nachos.
What do bacon-wrapped dates taste like?
This recipe fires on every cylinder. It’s smoky, sweet, crunchy, gooey, and creamy, all in one fabulous bite!
Served with my incredible whipped blue cheese dip, this is a finger food like none other!
Ingredients
Dates: Look for pitted dates in the dried fruit section of your regular grocery store. This fruit of the date palm tree is sweeter than candy!
Almonds: Whole roasted almonds are the perfect size and shape for stuffing in the center of a date!
Bacon: I’ve used thick-cut smoked bacon here. If you’re using regular bacon, you may need to decrease the bake time slightly.
Cream cheese: This gets blended with blue cheese to create a milder flavored dip. It’s best if it’s at room temp.
Blue Cheese: Look for a soft blue cheese that’s not overly salty. This will also be easier to work with if it’s softened.
Seasonings: Kosher salt, garlic powder, and ground black pepper round out the flavors of the whipped cheese in the most scrumptious way.
Cream: Heavy whipping cream is used to give the dip a light, whipped cream texture. If you live outside the US, this product might go by the name “double cream.” Light cream, half and half, or milk will not work for this recipe. You need the higher fat content that heavy cream has to create those stiff peaks.
Special equipment
- Measuring and spoons: For measuring ingredients accurately. Follow this guide: How to Measure Ingredients for Baking.
- Knife and cutting board: The bacon gets cut down into shorter strips.
- Parchment or foil: To line your baking sheet, so cleanup is easy.
- Baking sheet: On which to roast your devils on horseback.
- Electric mixer: This will whip up your dip so that it’s impossibly light and airy! Either a stand mixer or a handheld mixer will work.
- Silicone spatula: Reaches and incorporates any ingredients that might be hiding from the mixer, and helps to get every bit of dip from the bowl!
How to make bacon-wrapped dates
This easy recipe comes together in just 4 simple steps.
Step 1: Stuff the dates
Have a look at your dates, and notice that there’s a slit cut into the end of each one. This was how they got the pit out!
And it creates a perfect little hidey-hole for a crunchy whole almond.
Just push the almond in, pointed end first. It’s easy!
Step 2: Wrap them in bacon
Cut your bacon down into thirds, then wrap each stuffed date with 1/3 slice of bacon.
Step 3: Roast
Place the bacon-wrapped dates, seam side down, on a lined baking sheet.
These will roast in the oven until the bacon is crisp.
Step 4: Make the whipped blue cheese dip
While those are going, you can get started on your whipped blue cheese dip.
Place the cream cheese, blue cheese, and seasonings in the bowl of your mixer.
Blend them together until creamy, then scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl so you know that everything is well incorporated.
Now, with the mixer running on low speed, add the cream in a slow trickle.
Once all the cream has been added, turn the mixer up to medium-high and whip the dip until it can hold stiff peaks.
This is basically my famous whipped cream frosting, in savory form!
How to serve
Pile these on a platter and serve them alongside a little bowl of the dip. Your guests can just grab them with their fingers, or use a toothpick.
They’re the perfect little one-bite nibble and they go great with a clean, dry, sparkling white wine or a bold, leathery red.
Expert tips
Get ahead on the prep: You can make the whipped blue cheese and stuff and wrap the dates up to 3 days ahead of time. Just keep them lightly covered in the fridge.
Try a different type of cheese: If blue cheese isn’t really your thing, you can sub in any kind of soft or crumbly cheese here. I think goat cheese would be fantastic too, as would ricotta, brie, or feta.
Frequently asked questions
These can be served hot, warm, or at room temperature. No matter what you do, they’re going to be amazing.
But I do think they’re best when they’re hot from the oven!
If I were making these for a party, I’d probably try to prep them ahead (as per the instructions above) but leave the roasting ’til the last minute.
These are fine left out at room temperature for a few hours, but any longer than that and they should probably go into the fridge. They should last there for around 4 to 5 days.
The serving size here is 1 bacon-wrapped date. The recipe makes approximately 30. I’d figure on about 3 per guest.
The nutritional info provided in the recipe card below is for 1 bacon-wrapped date, and it includes the whipped blue cheese.
A few more of my favorite hors d’oeuvres recipes
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Bacon Wrapped Dates with Whipped Blue Cheese Dip
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) pitted dates
- 1/2 cup (71.5 g) whole almonds, (approx.)
- 10 slices (220 g) thick-cut bacon
- 2 ounces (56.7 g) cream cheese
- 2 ounces (56.7 g) soft blue cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon (1.5 g) kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.5 g) ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.75 g) garlic powder
- 1/2 cup (119 g) heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F, and line a baking sheet with parchment or foil.
- Push a whole almond into the opening of each date.
- Cut the bacon into thirds, and wrap 1/3 of a slice around each stuffed date.
- Place the bacon wrapped stuffed dates (seam side down) on the prepared baking sheet, and roast until the bacon is crisp (approx. 25 mintues).
- Place the cream cheese, blue cheese, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a mixing bowl, and whip together until smooth (approx. 1 minute on medium speed).
- Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula, then, with the mixer running on low speed, drizzle in the cream in a slow, steady stream.
- Scrape the bowl again, then turn the mixer up to medium-high and whip until the mixture holds stiff peaks (approx. 1 to 2 minutes).
- Transfer the whipped blue cheese dip to a serving bowl, and serve alongside the bacon-wrapped dates.
