we had two dinner parties to go to this past weekend – one at the house of fellow food blogger The Nashville Nosher, + one with honey’s family. i had been eyeing these appetizers for a while, + decided to try them for the first party. they turned out delicious, with a wonderful combination of flavors, but i didn’t love that the bacon cooked somewhat unevenly, done more on the bottom than the sides + top.
for the next night’s party, i decided to make these again, this time with a few changes. first, because i love my bacon pretty well-done, i pre-cooked the bacon for about 10 minutes on low heat prior to wrapping it around the dates. then, while they were baking, i rotated them a few times to ensure the bacon browned evenly. the results? even more delicious than the night before + amazingly popular. if you’re looking for a flavorful, interesting + unexpected appetizer, this one’s for you!
bacon-wrapped mango chutney + manchego stuffed dates
makes 6 servings, adapted from i love bacon
ingredients
12 large medjool dates
1 cup mango chutney
1 cup (4 ounces) grated manchego cheese
6 slices applewood-smoked bacondirections
preheat oven to 350 degrees. line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
use a paring knife to cut each date in half lengthwise just to the pit. remove the pit + open the date, but do not cut all the way through it.
in a small bowl, combine the chutney + cheese with a small fork, mashing it together lightly. spoon a teaspoon of the filling into the center of each date. close the date around the filling.
cut each of the bacon slices in half. wrap a half piece of bacon tightly around the center of each date. place the dates on the baking sheet. bake for 8 – 10 minutes, until the bacon is crispy. drain on paper towels.
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{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
What a great combination of flavors. I would have never thought to put them together but now that I think about it, you can see how they’d work great together. I gotta try them!
i agree – i was surprised by the different flavors when i first read the recipe, but was super pleased with the way it turned out. the flavors work amazingly well together!
I love this combo – And luckily I have some homemade bacon and dates in the house! Will definitely have to try this out
ooh, i bet these would be *amazing* with homemade bacon. let me know how it turns out. + thanks for the tips in where to find great medjool dates / mango chutney – i appreciate it!
Very nice appetizer
dates, mango chutney, bacon, I think they should taste good together 
they do, they’re amazing together! =)
yes, those were AMAZING! Thanks so much for bringing them
you are most welcome! i hate to rub it in, but the batch i made the next night was even better than the one i made the first night, since i perfected the bacon. =) i’ll have to make them again for you soon!
What an amazing combo! Would be great for a Superbowl app! So you bake the uncooked bacon, right? You shouldn’t cook the bacon slices first and then bake them again, right? I’m working on my cooking skills, Amy! I’m working my way up from our Kraft mac n cheese days.
hey rita! when i first made these, i wrapped each in about 1/3 slice of completely uncooked bacon. i liked the way they turned out, but wished the bacon was slightly more well-done (but i couldn’t bake them any longer, or they would’ve burned on the bottom).
so, the second time i made them, i cooked some bacon in a skillet for about 10 minutes on low heat, til they were starting to brown + some of the fat had rendered out. then, i took that bacon, cut them to size, wrapped them around the dates, + proceeded with the baking per usual. this time, the bacon was cooked perfectly for me (that’s when i took this pic – after the second more well-done batch, so you can get a sense of how they turn out).
hope this helps! + yes, we’ve both come a long way from our kraft mac-n-cheese days, or even our fancier velveeta mac days! =D