Bacon Wrapped Dates

Kitchen shears are your friend in this recipe - use them on the bacon and the rosemary. Put a good amount of cheese in the dates. You'll know it's full enough when the sides of the dates are about 1/4 inch apart.

Unbalanced

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Bring bacon & goat cheese to room temp

Step 2

Preheat oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with parchment and fit with a wire rack; set aside.

Step 3

Open the dates in half with fingers or a knife, making sure to not tear in half. Fill the date with a small amount of cheese.

Step 4

Wrap bacon around date until ends overlap by a little bit then use kitchen shears to cut off that much bacon. Push the bacon ends together so they bond.

Step 5

Place the dates seam side down on prepared baking sheet.

Step 6

Bake until bacon fat is beginning to render out, about 15 min.

Step 7

While dates are baking, in a small bowl, mix together maple syrup, red pepper flakes, rosemary, and black pepper. It's easier to finely dice the rosemary with kitchen shears.

Step 8

After the first 15 min of baking, pull the dates out of the oven and generously brush them with the maple syrup mixture.

Step 9

Continue to bake until bacon is crispy - another 15-20 minutes.