Bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with Ibérico cheese and blanched almonds

Sweet, salty, smoky, crunchy, sticky, soft and creamy.

Published originally on my blog on 10 February 2023

This is a dish made for when you really want to eat something sweet, salty and savory all wrapped into two little bites.

Or, for when you have friends over and you plan on doing some drinking that will require some serious snacking later on, and you want that snack to be really delicious and not just chips and dip.

Or, for when you host a dinner or a celebration and you want to serve something impressively good for a starter, a nibble, or as part of your main spread.

If any of the above applies to you, then this dish is made for you.

There’s bacon, dates, cheese and nuts. There’s crunchy, crispy, soft, sticky and creamy textures. There’s sweet, salty, smoky, umami and sharp flavors.

Plump Medjool dates stuffed with blanched almonds and Ibérico (or Manchego) cheese, wrapped in bacon. Tell me that doesn’t sound good!

Who can resist a recipe that’s so full of flavor?!

Bacon-wrapped Medjool dates stuffed with Ibérico cheese and blanched almonds

The cheese I use to stuff the dates with in this dish vary. I usually use Ibérico cheese, but other times I use Manchego. Both are Spanish cheeses that are buttery, creamy and sharp. However, their flavor profile differs due to the type of milk used to make each cheese. Manchego is made just with sheep’s milk, whereas Ibérico is made with a combination of sheep’s, goat’s and cow’s milk.