These bacon wrapped dates will fly off the plate at your next party! There is a special surprise waiting inside of them too!
I think appetizers are my favorite part of any holiday party and I often make meal just off the appetizers. Be sure and check out the great collection of appetizer recipes here on the blog. Two of my favorites are phyllo wrapped asparagus and bloomin onion bread.
So I thought I didn’t like dates. But I was wrong. At least when it comes to Bacon Wrapped Dates Drizzled with Maple Syrup I was wrong.
I first enjoyed this lovely little morsels at a Halloween party hosted by my neighbor Denise. Jim found them first and fell in love. He brought one to me and insisted that I try it, without telling me what it was. I knew he thought I wouldn’t try it if I knew what it was and he was probably right. I’m glad he didn’t tell me what it was. It tasted like candy.
These bacon wrapped dates would make a lovely addition to any New Year’s Eve party or just about any party!
How to Make Bacon Wrapped Dates
- The dates I bought came pitted which means they had a slit cut into them already. If your dates aren’t pitted, you will need to make a slit into the date (not all the way through) and remove the pit.
- Remember I mentioned there was surprise inside the date? It’s a pistachio! Open up the slit and place 1-2 pistachios inside of the date and then press the date closed.
- Cut each strip of bacon into 3-4 pieces. If you are using larger dates you will cut it into 3 pieces. Use thin bacon as thicker bacon takes longer to cook.
- You want the bacon piece to be long enough to wrap around the date with a little bit of overlap and thin enough that it will cook fairly quickly. Place the bacon seam side down on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Some of your bacon may come slightly unwrapped during the baking process but that’s o.k.
- For that added little touch and extra sweetness and goodness give them a nice little brush of real maple syrup (none of that fake stuff!)
- Bake them at 350 degrees until crisp. The length of time will depend on the thickness of your bacon. I baked mine about 5 minutes and then flipped them over with a fork for another 5 minutes.
The dates can also be stuffed and rolled and then frozen for a quick make a head appetizer. They will just take a bit longer to bake if they are frozen.
Before serving, I like to drizzle just a little bit more maple syrup over the top. You can serve them with the tooth picks in or without the tooth picks, which ever you prefer. The toothpicks make it a little easier for your guests to grab one, or two or three!
Some other favorite appetizers:
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Bacon Wrapped Date Recipe
Bacon Wrapped Dates
Ingredients
- 32 pitted dates or however many you want to make
- 32 shelled pistachios (32-64) 1-2 per date
- 1 lb. lean thin bacon, each strip cut into 3-4 pieces depending on size of date
- 1 cup maple syrup for drizzling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Make a slit in each date, if there isn't one already and stuff with 1-2 pistachios. Remove the pit if they are pitted.
- Wrap each date with a piece of bacon so that the bacon just overlaps. Close with a toothpick.
- Place seam side down on the cookie sheet.
- Brush lightly with maple syrup.
- Bake until bacon is crisp, about 5 minutes each side.
- Dates can be made ahead of time and frozen.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes per side if frozen.
- Drizzle with additional maple syrup if desired.
Nutrition
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I’m gonna be brave & use this recipe to cook with dates for the first time, too. Picked up the dates at Winco yesterday; they don’t look all that appetizing… but I know I can trust ANY recipe that Leigh Anne shares! I’ll let you know how it goes!
Trust me on this one Rachel!
Now that looks really good! What an interesting combination! I tried dates a few years ago and I didn’t think I was going to like them either…but I did! I kept seeing them listed in recipes and finally bought some in the bulk section of a health food type of store….I was pleasantly surprised. I will keep this recipe in mind the next time I want to make something fun! Two of my sisters are coming to visit me in January…I should make this then! They will love them!
Leigh Anne, There are some wonderful cookie recipes using dates (Date Nut pinwheels are so good) My mom still makes Date Nut bread at the holidays and it is so yummy covered with butter.
My family has been making these for years, except instead of stuffing them with pistachios, we stuff them with a little chunk of cheddar cheese. The salty and sweet combo is delicious!
LOVE these! My sister and I have been making these for parties for years! the only difference is that we stuff the date with a water chestnut, and after wrapping the date in the bacon, we secure with a toothpick and marinate the whole thing in teriyaki sauce before baking. SUCH a good combination of flavors!
That sounds so delicious!!!! Will try this recipe sometime soon.
I literally cannot wait to make these! Sounds so so good! I will be making these for New Year’s Eve for sure! My friends will be so impressed!
I love dates, can’t believe you’ve never eaten them. I’m sure these are DELICIOUS because anything wrapped in bacon is going to be just that.
Hi, love your blog. I recently heard about these. I’ve heard in the UK they’re called Devil on Horseback. What a scary name! But there are several variations. Prunes can be used in place of the dates. And cheese, almond or mango chutney can be used to stuff the date or prune.
Sounds delish! I will surely try this soon since I actually have a bag of medjool dates at home that are destined to become something great! 🙂