These are little bites of heaven, and I thought that they would be the perfect recipe to share leading up to Valentine’s Day.  You may be asking yourself why, and the answer is simple, I love bacon, so this is kind of like a Valentine’s treat for myself 🙂

These have become a crowd favorite among our friends here in Ottawa.  We are asked to bring them with us almost everywhere, and we almost always have them as an appetizer when we are hosting a dinner party.

They are incredibly simple to make, but trust me, when you take them to a party or a pot-luck, they don’t last very long.

The first time we had these, courtesy of my sister Cherie, we weren’t quite sure what to make of them.  Starting off with bacon is always a step in the right direction, but bacon with dates?  I wasn’t convinced, but I tried one and WOW – they were so good.  The smokiness and saltiness of the bacon combined with the sweetness of the date and in the middle, the surprise of an almond.  Definitely a winner!

Jamie and I have discovered that making these with chicken or turkey bacon works quite well.  This kind of happened by accident.  We were hosting a dinner party, but one of our good friends, Katie, doesn’t eat pork or beef.  (I know, I have a friend who doesn’t eat bacon, how is this even possible!?!)  Anyway, Jamie suggested that we make the bacon wrapped dates with chicken bacon instead, that way Katie could enjoy them.  And guess what, they were amazing!

The chicken bacon doesn’t shrink up the same as regular pork bacon, and since chicken or turkey bacon is already pre-cooked, you can whip up a batch of these in no time, as you only have to warm the meat through.  Of course, if you like your bacon crispy, you can bake them in the oven a little longer.

So, if you are looking for a something a little sweet and salty to serve to your Valentine this year, you should whip up a batch of these.  But, a word or advice, make sure to make up a couple of extras for “sampling” 😉

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Ingredients:

• 15 strips chicken or turkey bacon
• 30 pitted honey dates
• 30 whole almonds

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Place an almond in the middle each date.
3. Cut each bacon strip in half.
4. Wrap bacon around almond stuffed date.
5. Place on baking tray lined with parchment paper
6. Bake in oven for 20 minutes.
7. Enjoy – but remember to share!