Bacon wrapped, Goat cheese and almond stuffed Dates

This is the last of the “Stuff It!” party posts. I’ve actually never seen or eaten a date before making these little guys. Two weeks later, I’ve already made 3 batches. These have the perfect combination of salty and sweet, chewy and crunchy. I got hubby to help assemble them. They’re loosely based on a recipe from Allrecipes.
Bacon wrapped, goat cheese and almond stuffed dates – makes ~32
1 pkg pitted dates
4-5 oz goat cheese
~32 almonds
thick cut bacon
toothpicks

Cut the bacon in half and set aside.

Slice dates in half, and open them up. Scoop a small amount of goat cheese into the center of the dates (I used a teaspoon, hubby used his fingers). Place an almond in the goat cheese and close the halves of the dates.

Wrap a half-slice of bacon around the outside of the date. Secure each one with a toothpick. We found it was best to fill all the dates first, then wrap them all. Arrange in a baking dish or on a baking sheet with sides to catch any grease.
Broil for about 5 minutes on each side or until bacon is cooked. We also threw these on the grill the second time around. They took a little longer, but were still delicious.
Remove toothpicks before serving.
Note – I am submitting this in Joelen’s TGIF Martini Mixer blogging event. Check out the details here.

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9 Responses to “Cranberry, Caramelized Onion, and Goat Cheese Dip”

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    oneordinaryday — January 11, 2010 at 2:10 pm

    Bookmarked!! Sounds awesome!

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    Colleen — January 11, 2010 at 4:15 pm

    That sounds yummy! I don’t like goat cheese, but bet it would be good with feta too.

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    Julie — January 11, 2010 at 8:17 pm

    Sounds like a wonderful combo…except like Colleen, I’ve finally come to admit I don’t like goat cheese. Could use more cream cheese I suppose.

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    nutmegnanny — January 12, 2010 at 12:27 am

    Goat cheese is my ultimate favorite! Can’t wait to try this delicious dip 🙂

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    Colleen — January 12, 2010 at 10:35 pm

    This looks delicious! I can’t wait to make it! Although the cheddar cheese is throwing me off though – did it really match in flavor? Do you think something like asiago would work?

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    Jen — January 13, 2010 at 12:35 am

    I agree Colleen, the cheddar does seem out of place. In all honesty, you couldn’t taste it. The goat cheese / cream cheese mixture and caramelized onions and cranberries are all pretty prominent flavors. I’m sure any shredded cheese would be fine.

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    Colleen — February 13, 2010 at 1:53 pm

    Just posted this – delicious! It will be one of my standards from now on!

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    Lisa Burnett — February 13, 2010 at 10:29 pm

    what do i do with the pecans if i choose to use them?

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    Jen — February 13, 2010 at 10:32 pm

    Lisa – I’d mix them into the Cranberry mixture or layer them between the cheese and the cranberry layers.

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