Food, Folks, and Fun: Spanish Tapas: Crispy Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Dates

I L*O*V*E Tapas! One of my most favorite Valentine’s Day dates was when my hubby took me out for Tapas. There’s just something about Tapas restaurants that are romantic; the lighting, the sharing of dishes, the music, etc. We had a dish very similar to this and it was love at first bite!

I love bringing this recipe to parties (I brought it to both Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve parties) because 1) is SO easy to make, 2) it’s uber delicious, and 3) it’s different from your typical party food.

Cook’s Note: The dates and goat cheese are usually expensive ingredients, but I got all the ingredients for this dish at Costco. The prices are much lower than at the grocery store and the quality is great.

Spanish Tapas: Crispy Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Dates

Ingredients:

16 large Medjool dates, pitted

16 roasted almonds

1/4 C mild goat cheese, crumbled

8 slices of bacon (about 7 ounces), halved crosswise

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°. Cut a lengthwise slit in the dates and remove the pit. Stuff each one with an almond and about ½-1 teaspoon of the goat cheese. Pinch the dates closed. Wrap each date securely in a piece of bacon and arrange the dates, seam side down, on a wire rack set on a baking sheet.

Bake the stuffed dates for about 20-25 minutes, or until the bacon is browned and crisp; turn each date after 10 minutes. Serve the stuffed dates warm or at room temperature.

Make Ahead

The stuffed dates can be prepared through Step 1 and refrigerated for 1 day.

Source: Food and Wine.com