The 3-Ingredient Appetizer To Satisfy The Bacon Lovers In Your Life

A good appetizer should be small in size but big on flavor, designed to get your taste buds going without filling you up. And with just three ingredients, these bacon-wrapped dates with goat cheese fit the bill perfectly. Goat cheese and dates are a winning combination, with the tangy cheese contrasting with the sweet sticky dried fruit. This alone would be a tasty little canapé but wrapping it in bacon will take it to the next level.

Bacon adds a salty umami contrast to the sweetness of the dates and makes the whole thing more substantial. It will also convince anyone not sure about dates to at least give these appetizers a try. After a spin in the oven, the bacon will become crisp, the natural sugars in the dates will caramelize, and the cheese will be deliciously melty.

The appeal of this recipe comes from its simplicity but there are of course ways to jazz it up if you're feeling fancy. Try adding finely chopped thyme to the cheese, brushing the bacon with hot honey halfway through the cooking time, or drizzling on a little balsamic glaze before serving.

With such a simple recipe, your success will come down to the ingredients. For the dates, medjool dates are a popular choice because they are sweeter and larger than other varieties, but they're not essential. More important than the type of date is that you opt for the pre-pitted version — unless you're a glutton for punishment.

Regardless of how you like your morning bacon, you'll need the thin-cut variety for this one. It's easier to wrap tightly to the date, and most importantly, it will have time to crisp up in the oven. You'll be using 1/3 to 1/2 of a strip depending on the size of your dates. So, for 16 large dates, you'd need eight strips of bacon. Any soft goat cheese will work, but creamy instead of crumbly varieties are easier to stuff into the dates.

Start by cutting a slit lengthways down the date, being careful not to cut through the other side. Stuff with a small amount of goat cheese and wrap with bacon, ensuring the ends overlap slightly. If you're feeling confident, you can simply place the dates seam-side down in a parchment-lined baking dish, but adding a toothpick will not only keep the bacon in place but also provide a handle for easier serving. Cook in a 350-degree Fahrenheit oven until the bacon crisps up, around 20 to 25 minutes. If you're using toothpicks, you can flip the dates on their sides after the first 10 minutes to get evenly crisp bacon.