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These bacon wrapped dates will fly off the plate at your next party! They are sweet and crispy on the outside and stuffed with pistachios.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
I first enjoyed bacon wrapped dates at a Halloween party hosted by my neighbor. Jim tried them first and fell in love. He brought one to me and insisted that I try it, without telling me what it was. It tasted just like candy!
They are a quick and easy to make. You can prepare them ahead of time and bake right before you are ready to serve them. They taste great warm and they are also delicious at room temperature so that makes them the perfect appetizer for a party.
Ingredients Needed
- Dates, I use Medjool dates but any pitted date will work.
- Pistachios, you can also use whole almonds or pecans.
- Bacon, use a thin bacon.
- Maple Syrup
How to Make Bacon Wrapped Dates
- Open up the slit and place 1-2 pistachio inside.
- Press the dated closed.
- Cut each slice of bacon into 3-4 pieces. You want the bacon to be long enough to wrap around the date with a little overlap and thin enough that it will cook 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.
- Brush bacon slices with real maple syrup. It adds a nice touch of sweet and helps to caramelize the bacon.
- Bake them at 350 degrees F until bacon is 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.
Tips
- If you cannot fined pitted dates, you can pit them yourself with a small paring knife. Make a slit into the date until you hit the pit. Open up the slit and pull out the pit.
- This recipe has so many delicious variations. Some of my favorite are stuffing the dates with goat cheese, cream cheese, or blue cheese. And you can wrap the dates in prosciutto or pancetta instead of bacon.
- To reheat, place dates on a sheet pan and bake at 350 degrees F until dates are warmed through bacon has crisped up, about 5-7 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make bacon wrapped dates ahead of time?
The dates can be stuffed and rolled with bacon and then placed in an airtight container into the freezer. This makes for a quick make a head appetizer. They will just take a bit longer to bake if they are frozen. Brush them with the maple syrup before putting them into the oven.
They can be made up to 8 hours ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator before baking.
Store any leftover baked dates in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Where do you find dates in the grocery store?
They are usually found in the produce section of the grocery store.
Should I serve them with the toothpicks in?
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!
Check out more of my favorite appetizers:
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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 Facts:
Rachel Jensen says
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!
Leigh Anne says
Trust me on this one Rachel!
Bonnie@WhatAboutPie says
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!
Dawn says
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.
Teresa says
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!