courtesy of smittenkitchen.com

Do ahead: Bringing these to a party? They rewarm well at almost any temperature. You can also bake them most of the way at home — until the bacon is cooked and mostly crisp, but not browned — and finish them up where you are, rewarming them as you do.

Ingredients
12 ounces bacon (thinner is better), each strip cut into two segments
6 ounces pitted dates (about 28)
1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons maple syrup or honey
A few pinches aleppo-style mild red pepper flakes
Flaky sea salt

Method

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Wind bacon around each date, securing it with a toothpick and arranging it on a rimmed, foil-lined baking sheet or roasting dish. (I didn’t line with foil and suffered the dish-washing consequences.)
3. Combine cider vinegar, maple syrup, and pepper flakes in a small bowl.
4. Brush or spoon over each bacon-wrapped date; you can even very briefly roll them in the mixture to coat.
5. Sprinkle with sea salt.
6. Roast for as little as 15 and up to 35 minutes, until bacon is a deep, crisp, sizzling brown — this varies a lot between brands.
7. Check in on the early end, and then every 5 minutes thereafter, to get the color and crisp just right.
8. If you have extra vinegar mixture, you can brush it on again in the second half of the baking time. Serve warm, sprinkling with more sea salt and/or pepper flakes to taste.