One of my most popular (and a personal fave, too!) munchies is cheese stuffed dates, wrapped in bacon, and baked.
And, aside from being so very tasty, they are also wicked easy to customize to your (and your friends’) tastes. Blue cheese makes for a pretty terrific filling, as does pimiento cheese; and Montreal Steak Seasoning, or your preferred grill seasoning, also works well with the date, cheese, and bacon combo. But this: garlic herb Boursin cheese, apple smoked bacon, and brown sugar?
MAJOR WINNER!
As an added bonus, this bypasses a lot of our friends’ blue cheese aversion and/or allergies, so, good for Boursin!
INGREDIENTS
•Pitted dates
•Boursin cheese*
•Bacon (I used uncured thick cut)
•Brown sugar
•Toothpicks
*I went with Boursin Garlic and Fine Herbs, but feel free to play around with the other flavors – Cracked Black Pepper was seriously tempting.
Cut the bacon into two pieces.
Stuff a date with the cheese, then lay on one end of a bacon strip and roll up. Secure with a toothpick and set aside.
Repeat with the remaining dates and bacon.
Note: if you buy one ten ounce container of pitted dates and on packet of bacon; you will have leftover dates. This is fine. Save them for another gathering or, for a large (and/or hungry) crowd, use two packets of bacon.
Sprinkle with brown sugar, then transfer to a gallon-sized zipper bag, along with mebbe a bit more brown sugar, close the bag, and give it a couple oof tosses and turns too coat all sides of the dates with the brown sugar.
Stash in the fridge until ready to bake.
Heat your oven to 375º and line a rimmed baking pan with foil. If you have one, fit a rack in the lined baking pan and apply cooking spray.
Arrange the dates in a single layer in the pan and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the bacon is cooked and crisp and the sugar slightly caramelized.
Serve and enjoy.