Bacon-Wrapped Dates
with Manchego and Honey
Some appetizers are worth making a little extra room for on the table, and these Bacon-Wrapped Dates with Manchego and Honey are definitely among them. Sweet, caramelized Medjool dates are stuffed with nutty Spanish Manchego, wrapped in smoky bacon, and roasted until beautifully crisp. A light drizzle of golden honey finishes everything off with just the right touch of sweetness. They’re simple enough for a casual gathering but elegant enough to earn a spot on your holiday entertaining menu. And fair warning: making just one batch is probably wishful thinking.
LAND2SHORE / FROM CHEF NICO’S KITCHEN
THE RECIPE
Bacon-Wrapped Dates with Manchego and Honey
PREPARATION
25 minutes active prep.
COOK / YIELD
About 25 minutes.
24 pieces, serves 8 to 10.
A Little Spanish Inspiration
Inspired by the sweet-and-savory flavors of Spanish tapas, these little bites are a delicious example of how a handful of quality ingredients can create something memorable. Dates wrapped in bacon are a familiar favorite in Spanish-inspired cooking, but adding Manchego gives them a wonderfully rich, slightly salty character that balances the natural sweetness of the fruit. The honey is our finishing touch, bringing everything together without stealing the show. Serve them warm with a glass of Rioja, a crisp Spanish Albariño, or your favorite cocktail, and you’ve got an appetizer that makes entertaining look wonderfully effortless.
The Ingredients
Ingredients & Pantry
BACON-WRAPPED DATES
- 24 Medjool dates, pitted
- 4 oz aged Manchego, cut into small batons
- 12 slices thin-cut bacon, halved crosswise
- 24 toothpicks
TO FINISH
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp flaky sea salt
- 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
- 1 tbsp chopped rosemary
Before You Begin
Prep: 25 minutes active prep.
Cook: About 25 minutes.
Yield: 24 pieces, serves 8 to 10.
The full measured recipe, printable instructions, and food-safety notes appear below.
BACON-WRAPPED DATES WITH MANCHEGO AND HONEY
Let's COOK, Step by Step
Chef Nico’s preparation, with complete measurements and guidance in the printable recipe below.
01 | Method
- PREP THE DATES Heat the oven to 400°F and line a sheet pan with foil, then set a wire rack inside it. Slit each date lengthwise without cutting through, and remove the pit if not already pitted.
- STUFF Press a baton of Manchego into each date and pinch the date closed around it. Do not overfill, as cheese that sits proud of the date will run out and burn on the pan.
- WRAP Wrap each stuffed date in a half slice of bacon, overlapping slightly. Secure with a toothpick pushed straight through. Arrange seam side down on the rack with space between each.
- ROAST Roast 20 to 25 minutes, turning once at the halfway point. They are ready when the bacon is crisp on all sides and the dates have softened.
- FINISH AND SERVE Rest 5 minutes, as the filling is molten straight from the oven. Drizzle with honey and finish with flaky salt, cracked pepper, and chopped rosemary. Serve warm.
FROM THE CHEF
Chef Nico’s Notes
Cooling / resting: Rest 5 minutes before serving, as the filling is molten.
SAFETY NOTES
Cook the bacon until crisp on all sides, ensuring the pork is fully rendered and cooked through.
Keep raw bacon refrigerated until wrapping, and wash hands, boards, and tools after handling.
This recipe contains pork and dairy. Note both when serving guests with allergies.
The filling is molten straight from the oven and causes burns. Rest 5 minutes before serving.
Count the toothpicks out and back if children are present, and use a small dish on the buffet for discarded picks.
Hold above 140°F on the buffet and pull after 2 hours out. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and use within 3 days.
CHEF NICO’S NOTES
Make-ahead and hold: assemble up to a day ahead, cover, and refrigerate raw. Roast straight from the refrigerator, adding 3 to 4 minutes.
Thin-cut bacon only. Thick-cut will not crisp before the dates collapse, and you end up with a soft, fatty wrap.
Roast on a rack, not directly on the pan. It lets the fat drain and the underside crisp instead of frying in a pool of grease.
Do not overfill with cheese. It runs out, burns onto the pan, and you lose the molten center that makes these work.
Manchego over blue cheese for a mixed crowd. Blue is the classic pairing but it divides a room, and Manchego is nutty enough to hold its own.
Honey and flaky salt at the end, never before roasting. Honey on the way into a 400°F oven turns black.
AROUND THE TABLE
What to Serve With It
Arrange warm dates on a small platter with cocktail napkins and a dish for discarded toothpicks. They work well before a roast dinner or alongside other small bites at a drinks gathering.
Something fresh, such as grapes or sliced pears on a separate plate, balances the rich bacon and cheese. Sparkling wine or sparkling water with citrus suits the sweet-salty finish.
These contain pork and dairy; make that clear for guests and keep toothpicks away from young children.
KEEP THIS RECIPE
Bacon-Wrapped Dates with Manchego
Medjool dates stuffed with aged Manchego, wrapped in bacon and roasted until the bacon crisps and the dates go molten.
- Total Time0 hours
- Yield24 pieces, serves 8 to 10. 1x
Ingredients
BACON-WRAPPED DATES
- 24 Medjool dates, pitted
- 4 oz aged Manchego, cut into small batons
- 12 slices thin-cut bacon, halved crosswise
- 24 toothpicks
TO FINISH
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp flaky sea salt
- 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
- 1 tbsp chopped rosemary
Instructions
- PREP THE DATES Heat the oven to 400°F and line a sheet pan with foil, then set a wire rack inside it. Slit each date lengthwise without cutting through, and remove the pit if not already pitted.
- STUFF Press a baton of Manchego into each date and pinch the date closed around it. Do not overfill, as cheese that sits proud of the date will run out and burn on the pan.
- WRAP Wrap each stuffed date in a half slice of bacon, overlapping slightly. Secure with a toothpick pushed straight through. Arrange seam side down on the rack with space between each.
- ROAST Roast 20 to 25 minutes, turning once at the halfway point. They are ready when the bacon is crisp on all sides and the dates have softened.
- FINISH AND SERVE Rest 5 minutes, as the filling is molten straight from the oven. Drizzle with honey and finish with flaky salt, cracked pepper, and chopped rosemary. Serve warm.
Notes
Cooling / resting: Rest 5 minutes before serving, as the filling is molten.
SAFETY NOTES
Cook the bacon until crisp on all sides, ensuring the pork is fully rendered and cooked through.
Keep raw bacon refrigerated until wrapping, and wash hands, boards, and tools after handling.
This recipe contains pork and dairy. Note both when serving guests with allergies.
The filling is molten straight from the oven and causes burns. Rest 5 minutes before serving.
Count the toothpicks out and back if children are present, and use a small dish on the buffet for discarded picks.
Hold above 140°F on the buffet and pull after 2 hours out. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and use within 3 days.
CHEF NICO’S NOTES
Make-ahead and hold: assemble up to a day ahead, cover, and refrigerate raw. Roast straight from the refrigerator, adding 3 to 4 minutes.
Thin-cut bacon only. Thick-cut will not crisp before the dates collapse, and you end up with a soft, fatty wrap.
Roast on a rack, not directly on the pan. It lets the fat drain and the underside crisp instead of frying in a pool of grease.
Do not overfill with cheese. It runs out, burns onto the pan, and you lose the molten center that makes these work.
Manchego over blue cheese for a mixed crowd. Blue is the classic pairing but it divides a room, and Manchego is nutty enough to hold its own.
Honey and flaky salt at the end, never before roasting. Honey on the way into a 400°F oven turns black.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes active prep.
- Cook Time: About 25 minutes.
- Category: Appetizer
CHEF NICO’S ESSENTIALS
Ready, Set, Cook
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