These bacon wrapped dates are stuffed with fontina cheese and sprinkled with an insanely delicious brown sugar spice rub. They're going to be the hit of your next party!
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line baking sheet with foil and place oven-safe wire baking rack on top of lined baking sheet. Spray baking rack with nonstick cooking spray.
Cut small slit in date so one side still remains intact (remove pit if you didn't buy pitted dates or if any pit remnants remain). Place cheese inside and close date around cheese. Wrap bacon around the date and secure with a toothpick. Place on baking rack with the ends of the bacon on the bottom (you also want the opening/cut in the date to be face up if possible). Repeat with remaining dates.
In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, chili powder, smoked paprika, and cayenne. I like to use a fork to make sure all the ingredients are combined.
Sprinkle mixture on top of each date, pressing down lightly to secure it to the dates. You can also dip the dates into the brown sugar mixture, but I found sprinkling it on was easier.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until bacon is crispy and cooked through. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
If you don’t have dark brown sugar, light brown sugar will also work.
If you want, you can try these with any variety of cheeses. Try manchego, cream cheese, goat cheese, cheddar, or havarti.
The brown sugar topping is subtle and not spicy. If you want a bolder flavor punch, try doubling all the spices and keeping the brown sugar measurement the same.