dijon-glazed + bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with gruyere

if bacon-wrapped dates ran for president they would 100% win.

there is really no wrong way to make these little bundles of joy. some people stuff ‘em with blue cheese, most people stick with a traditional manchego, even a few people get nuts + stuff ‘em with marcona almonds or pistachios!

point is. even if you’ve never made bacon-wrapped dates + your local market is out of the cheese stated in the recipe, you still can’t mess this up. promise.

and i’ll also guarantee your appetizer at the potluck will be the first to go. how’s that for kitchen confidence!

i first fell in love with the bacon-wrapped dates at one of my favorite tapas restaurants in the city of chicago, Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba.

Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba is Chicago’s original tapas bar. they’ve been serving up tapas since 1985! and just as any menu grows with the times, bacon-wrapped dates have never left page 1. it’s a classic tapa yet it never gets old!

i like to think of bacon-wrapped dates as a spanish spin on pigs in a blanket.

the crisp bacon embraces a delicate date that has been stuffed with nutty gruyere cheese and, in my spin, is glazed over in a zippy dijon blanket of happiness.

it’s savory. it’s sweet. it’s amazing.

these wonder bites are a perfect accompaniment to a cheese + charcuterie tray. they would star as an appetizer before a fragrant paella dinner. they also rock as a passed hors d’oeuvre for any gathering, ever.

another reason i love them for entertaining is the assemble, bake + walk-away method. while these cook, you can go on your hosting way without having to worry one bit. while you do have to take 30 seconds aside near the end to glaze them – just think of that as a little bacon break. the smell of crisping up bacon just has to be a stress reliever! then boom! hostess with the mostess is back on duty!

so, how do i like them best? ~~straight from the oven~~ anytime i deserve to indulge! you’ll learn, there is no wrong way to enjoy bacon-wrapped dates.

bacon-wrapped gruyere-stuffed dates with dijon glaze

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

20 mins

Serves: 24 dates

Ingredients

24 dates, pitted {mejdool are the best!}
3 ounces Gruyere cheese, cut into ½ inch batons
7 slices of center cut bacon, each slice cut into thirds {they should be about 3 inches long - adjust accordingly if your center cut bacon is shorter!}
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon stone ground dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey mustard

Instructions

preheat the oven to 450º
lay foil down on a rimmed baking sheet, fit a wire rack above it
stuff each date with the gruyere then wrap in one of the bacon pieces. secure with a toothpick.
place the wrapped date onto the wire rack. continue process for all 24 dates.
bake for 10 minutes
meanwhile, whisk the mustards + maple syrup together to create dijon glaze.
after 10 minutes, baste the bacon-wrapped dates with the glaze
bake for another 5 minutes, keeping an eye on the bacon until crisp!
let the dates cool for a minimum of 5 minutes before enjoying - the cheese is H O T !

soak your wooden toothpicks in water for 20 minutes – this will ensure they won’t burn!

as mentioned above, there is no wrong way to stuff ’em! but if gruyere is tough to get ahold of, go for a hard nutty white cheese – like manchego!

serve with a classic spanish wine, garnacha.

using a wire rack over a baking sheet allows for the bacon grease to drip off + for the heat to crisp up the bacon on all sides without turning! if you don’t have the pans for this {super easy + cheap} setup you can simply use the baking pan but you’ll want to flip the dates half way through your cooking time as well as drain them on paper towels before serving!