Bacon and Date Appetizer

My sister's catering company has made these for lots of social event and we've found they come out better if you bake them at 400 for a little longer than broiling them. They cook a little more evenly. They are always a hit at parties.

I had these appetizers at a catered X-mas party this year, and they were awesome! I had to try and make them myself. A tip from the chef at the party was to use good, thick bacon from the deli (not the prepackaged stuff); I tried a little of each type of bacon (just to see) and he was definitely right-the thicker bacon works much better, and I only used about 1/3 of a strip on each date-they were great!

Been making samples of different appetizers for my annual Xmas Open House and this one will definitely be there! I tried baking a few at 400 degrees, but took too long. So I deep fried (peanut oil) at 350 degrees for a couple minutes. Absolutely fantastic. I used the Blue Diamond Roasted Salted Almonds and wrapped dates in 1/2 slice of bacon.

Amazing! I collected recipes during the year to make for Christmas 2001. I had an open house for several days and needed prepare-ahead recipes that I could pop in the oven or in the fryer as my guests arrived. My first batch of dates I tried as the recipe called for, in the oven. Cooking by this method made the bacon unevenly cooked. My husbad tried one and didn't care for the sweetness of the date. I almost chucked the whole heap of bacon wrapped dates and called it "a lesson learned". The next day I had the wok with hot oil cooking crab puffs and I decided to try deep frying a batch of the dates. It made a HUGE difference in the flavor and texture of the dates! My husband thought they were delicious now! They were no longer super sweet and the bacon was cooked evenly. I asked my closest friends to rate the appetizers from most favorite to least (I had at least a dozen to choose from) and these were number one with most of my fussy eaters. They're one of the best for making ahead and keeping in the fridge until ready to cook. I used a can of Diamond-A toasted and salted almonds. Because the almonds were so small, I was able to stuff two into each date. I will keep this recipe and make again. They're wonderful.

My sister in law had these at a fancy lunch one day and commented on how good they were. I was in shock when I came across these. I can't wait to make these for my next get together. Cooking them in the microwave does allow you to soak up the access grease with a paper towel, but frying them lends a flavor you can't get in the broiler or microwave. I'm not sure how pecans would taste in these (another reviewer commented on it), so I'll just stick to the almonds. Lots of thanks Cinn!!!

Like another reviewer, I am trying new recipes from this site for my Christmas open house. This was great with a sliver of water chestnut inside the date. (I didn't have any almonds). I think my guests may have it both ways!

Made these for a holiday party and they were the big hit! VERY easy. I also baked in the oven for about 25 minutes. I used regular Hormel bacon and cut the strips into thirds before wrapping around the date. No toothpicks needed! Also prepped these in advance and just popped them in the oven as they were being ate!

Great! I stuffed the dates a week ahead and left them in the fridge. I used 2 different kinds of dates. I recommend the ones found in the produce section, instead of the boxed and vaccuum sealed dates. Those in produce had a hole where the almond easily slid right in, taking little time to assemble. I also decided to roll the dates in BBQ sauce before wrapping with 1/3 slice of bacon. These were a huge hit! I will make them often.

These are excellent with or without using almonds. A little hard to get the toothpick through when you use almonds, I find it easiest to weave the toothpick in & out of the seam where the bacon closes & not to try & attempt to skewer them on.