Woohoo! Check these out! Bacon-wrapped dates! These are the ultimate party snack. The combination of sweet and salty, crispy and soft is just amazing. Every bite is a party on its own. Serve them with a homemade BBQ sauce and your party will be on a higher level. Wink.
I love dishes where sweet and salty ingredients come together. And so it’s with this recipe. Probably your head will say “no way”, but curiosity will make you try it. Try it. It’s a must! Wink.
You are going to love them. I know it. They are so easy to make and you can serve them as an appetizer, party snack or for your tapas buffet.
Besides making these lovely snacks, I also made a homemade BBQ sauce. This sauce is thick, sticky, sweet and spicy. In other words, it’s simply amazing. I think bacon-wrapped dates pair perfectly with it.
Moreover, you can make them either in the oven or in the pan. I picked the latter. The important thing is to use a non-sticking pan.
In addition, making these snacks is easy, yet it will be smoky in your kitchen Therefore, be sure to open a window. You can also use some drops of olive oil, but it will be even smokier. You decide which option you will take. Wink.
If you fancy more snacks like that, simply jump on these posts and check these party snacks out: a creamy bacon-wrapped avocado, sweet bacon-wrapped prunes or maybe something not so common, crispy coconut pickles or crisp avocado fries.
Ingredients for 40 bacon-wrapped dates:
- 40 dates (soft, pitted)
- 20 thin bacon strips (halved crosswise)
Ingredients for around 150 ml of BBQ sauce:
- 100 ml ketchup
- 100 ml of orange juice
- 60 g brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbsp of tabasco
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
For the BBQ sauce, take a smaller pot or saucepan and put in all of the ingredients listed above. Cook until thick and glossy. I recommend stirring the whole time to prevent the sauce from sticking or burning.
Once the BBQ is sticky, glossy and thick (you know, as it should be), transfer it into a small cup and leave to cool.
Furthermore, prepare the dates and bacon strips. Cut the bacon strips crosswise in half and remove the pit from the dates (if there are any). In order to do that, make a small cut (lengthwise) and take out the pit.
Then, wrap each strip of bacon around each date and place the seam side down. At this point, take a non-sticking pan and place the first batch of bacon-wrapped dates in it. Make sure the seam side is facing down.
Moreover, you may occasionally turn the dates, to make the bacon crispy on all sides. It will take 5-6 minutes. Also, try to be gentle, so that the bacon strips don’t fall off.
Once the bacon becomes crispy, take the bacon-wrapped dates out of the pan and put them in a couple of small snack bowls. They taste incredible either warm or cold. In fact, they will simply melt in your mouth. Hey, don’t forget the delicious homemade BBQ sauce.
Enjoy!
