Bacon Wrapped Dates Stuffed with Goat Cheese

Ready to Eat In: 45 Min.
Serves: 6
Wine Pairing: Cabernet Sauvignon

What You Will Need:

• 12 Medjool dates
• 2 T. goat cheese
• 4 pieces of bacon with no nitrates
• 2 T. real maple syrup
• 12 toothpicks

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Pit the dates: I use a chopstick to do this (anything long and skinny from the kitchen will do)! Push the chopstick through one end of the date and out the other end. Push the pit out and move the chopstick around in a circle to create a space in the date. This is where the goat cheese will go!
3. Create a mini pipping bag: Put the goat cheese in the corner of a small plastic bag. Work the cheese a little in the bag to soften it up. Cut a teeny-tiny hole in the corner of the bag where the cheese is. Place the tiny hole in the date and squeeze the goat cheese into the date.
4. Wrap dates in bacon: Slice each piece of bacon into 3 pieces. Wrap each date in bacon and secure with a toothpick.
5. Bake dates: Place on baking sheet and cook for 10 min. Turn dates over and cook for 8 more min. Pour a little maple syrup on top of each date (or you can use brown sugar if you don't have maple syrup) and cook for an additional 2 min. or until bacon is crispy. (Baking about 20 min total) 

Enjoy!

                       Recipe Adopted from Alton Brown