Thanksgiving may be a little late this year, but the gathering of friends and friends that are like family have already begun for us. This last past weekend, some of those friends—my Irish friend who I’ve been friends with since we were 15 and his fiancé—came to visit, and I wanted to make something in advance that could be eaten throughout the weekend and heated up quickly when we needed a snack.
Enter: Bacon-Wrapped Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates. When I heard that McCormick’s had released their new marinated bacon, I knew I had to use them in a holiday recipe. Bacon, after all, is one of my favorite food groups. And bacon and the holidays go together like peas and carrots.
It’s convenient that November is also National Bacon Month (hello, new fave holiday!) Wait til you hear these marinated flavors: Ultimate Bacon, Montreal Steak, Smoky Applewood and Brown Sugar Bourbon. Drooling yet? The bacon is marinated in a first-of-its-kind three-step process. The bacon is marinated to soak in flavor, naturally smoked, and then seasoned by flavor experts with McCormick Grill Mates seasonings. It is currently available at Rouse’s and other independent grocery retailers. Ask your grocer if you don’t see it!
I know bacon is the star here, but let’s not forget about goat cheese and dates. Goat cheese is my favorite cheese!! I love a soft cheese, and I think it’s the perfect consistency of softness. It’s ability to be spread onto or into anything gives it much bonus points. I love an herbed goat cheese, but for this recipe, I used regular goat cheese in order to let the bacon flavor shine.
I guess dates have a bad rap because they’re used as a diuretic amongst the elderly, but honestly every generation deserves this fruit…and its “magic” fiber abilities! We’ve begun to keep them in our fridge on the reg because they sweeten up smoothies just enough and gives us those extra vitamins.
The fact that this recipe is grain-free is an added bonus to counter all the grainy decadence of the usual holiday recipes. And it was an extra bonus for my friends this past weekend because they follow a Keto diet. Even though a Keto diet was impossible to follow strictly with my family, they at least had this guilt-free snack throughout the weekend.
On top of all of these reasons, this is such a must-have recipe for your holiday catalog because it’s…you guessed it…SUPER EASY! Three…let me repeat…THREE ingredients is all you need. This recipe is the ultimate minimum-effort-
So here we go…this is my recipe for Bacon-Wrapped Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates. I was inspired by my friend Laura Oakes who made these a few weeks ago and had me drooling. I used and altered a recipe from Pinch of Yum to make it “make-ahead” friendly. This recipe is tailored for 6 people at 2 different serving times. It will be perfect for a big party or for a weekend gathering and grazing.
Ingredients:
- McCormick Grill Mates Marinated Bacon (2 packs—my favorite flavor for this recipe is the Smoky Applewood and Brown Sugar Bourbon)
- 18 oz of Medjool Dates (I used 2 baking pans)
- 4 oz of regular goat cheese
- Toothpicks
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Slice the dates lengthwise on one side to create an opening. Remove the pit.
- Using a small spoon, stuff a small amount of goat cheese into the cavity of each date and press the sides together to close.
- Cut the bacon slices in half. You can cut lengthwise, also, if using smaller dates or you want the bacon to go further. Wrap each date with a slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick.
- Arrange evenly on a baking sheet with raised edges (so grease doesn’t get everywhere) and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the dates and use the toothpick to turn each one so it’s laying on its side. Bake for another 8 minutes, until browned to your liking, and turn the dates to the other side and repeat. Remove from the oven, place on a paper towel lined plate, and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
- If you want to bake them ahead of time, only bake for 5-7 minutes on their sides and make sure the bacon doesn’t get too browned.
- When ready to serve, heat your toaster oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and then add your desired amount to cook for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven, place on a paper towel lined plate, and let stand for 5 minutes before serving. I liked the extra browning and crispiness this additional baking brought the bacon.
Enjoy and happy holidays! Tag me and @mccormickspice in your posts and Stories if you make them. This recipe and blog post is sponsored by McCormick Grill Mates Marinated Bacon. For more information, please visit http://www.grillmates.com.
