Pumpkin Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Dates

One of our awesome Civilized Caveman team members is back with another delicious post. Amber has shared some of her best recipes with us before in the form of Flourless Chocolate Muffins and this one is just as great. Nothing like taking a delicious recipe like bacon wrapped dates and making it even better by stuffing it with pumpkin. Since the holiday season is upon us, go whip up enough of these to keep you stuffed and have a few leftover to share. Now, here is Amber.

Bacon Wrapped Dates stuffed with Pumpkin

I’m super stoked to be back with another recipe y’all are going to love!

This killer appetizer of Pumpkin Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Dates will be a much welcome and perfect addition to your paleo Thanksgiving feast.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because I am blessed enough to have a crazy large family to share it with. The giving of thanks goes well into the weekend while we travel across both North & South Carolina feeding our faces with fried turkey, green beans, macaroni and cheese, squash casserole, BBQ pork, dressing & gravy, steamed oysters with bacon and hot sauce, and syrupy sweet tea.

Our afternoons are packed with 4 wheeler rides through the woods, roasting marshmallows by a blazing bonfire, cuddling up with my grandmother for impromptu harmonizations of church hymns, drawing names for the yearly family Christmas gift exchange, and chatting with my cousins while sipping on piping hot cups of hazelnut turtle hot chocolate. Around the holidays, my life is truly a Hallmark Christmas movie.  

Food has always been a huge part of my southern upbringing, and my memories are filled with learning how to make biscuits with my grandmothers and mashing potatoes with my aunts. Trying to stick to a 100% Paleo or clean eating lifestyle around the holidays can be a challenge, but it is possible with just a few tweaks.

How to Eat Clean during the Holidays

Most of the time it’s super easy to make Paleo modifications to holiday dishes without too much effort. Recreate sweet potato casserole loaded with brown sugar and marshmallows by subbing coconut sugar and a toasted pecan topping instead. Or serve my Apple Cider Glazed Brussels Sprouts instead of green bean casserole made with that icky gloop out of a can. *shudders*

If you’re looking for an impeccable holiday snack or appetizer idea, these bacon wrapped dates are for you. They’re crazy easy to make and are so, so delicious you may have an issue serving them to your guests because you’ll want them all for yourself!

I live in a very rural area that actually seems to be getting with the times because I finally found Medjool dates at our grocery store the other day! Mind you they were way more expensive than I would’ve like to pay because the majority of people around here have never even heard of them, but I happily bought the store out of their stock because these dates do not last long in my house.

I think I’ve made these a minimum of 5 times already and they rarely last into the evening.

This recipe makes about 24 servings so if you have a huge family like me, you may want to double or even triple the batch. You won’t regret it.

I like to add a little bit of coconut sugar to the pumpkin mixture because I have a crazy sweet tooth, and I feel like some of the sweetness bakes out of the dates when they’re cooked.

My husband thought I was crazy when I told him I didn’t think they were sweet enough, and he said he didn’t think the recipe needed the addition of the coconut sugar so that customization should totally be based upon your own tastes.

The caramelization that happens to these bad boys is positively swoon worthy and the combo of the smoky, salty bacon swirled with the sweet, chewy dates will send your senses into hysterics…in a good way. They’re a great dish to serve as a starter, a sweet treat, or as a late night snack while snuggling on the couch with your honey.

Pumpkin Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Dates

George Bryant

4.5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 14 mins

Total Time 24 mins

Servings 24

Ingredients

  

• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tablespoon coconut sugar optional
• pinch of sea salt
• 24 medjool dates pitted
• 8 slices of applewood smoked bacon

Instructions

 

• Pre-heat oven to 500 degrees (F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a small bowl, stir together pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, coconut sugar, and sea salt until well combined.
• Stack the bacon slices together then cut into 3 sections (or thirds) making a total of 24 small, evenly sized slices.
• Scoop the pumpkin mixture into a small zip top sandwich bag (or piping bag) then snip off a small section of one of the corners.
• Slice the dates open lengthwise, squeeze a small amount of the pumpkin mixture into
• each date, then wrap each date with a slice of bacon.
• Put bacon wrapped dates on the prepared baking sheet, seam side down. Repeat step 5 until all dates are filled.
• Bake dates on the top oven rack for 12-14 minutes or until the bacon is crispy and golden brown.
• Allow to cool slightly then serve.
• Enjoy!