These easy Devils on Horseback are a delicious festive appetiser to serve at parties and buffets over the holiday season. I also serve them with Christmas lunch too, because they are THAT GOOD!
Soft stoned prunes are stuffed with a whole almond, wrapped in smoked streaky bacon, and baked in the oven for the ultimate taste sensation! One is never enough!
I like to bake the Devils on Horseback in a sweet sticky glaze made with clear runny honey and soy sauce, which really complements the flavour and texture of the crispy salty bacon and soft fruity prunes.
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✔️ Why should you try it?
- Quick and easy to make
- A delicious festive appetiser
- Can be served with Christmas lunch
- Make ahead and store in the fridge
🥘 Ingredients
- Prunes - soft stoned prunes or use stoned dates if you are unable to get hold of prunes.
- Almonds - whole almonds are used in the recipe, but omit completely if you are serving to guests with a nut allergy. You could stuff the prunes with goats cheese instead.
- Bacon - Smoked streaky bacon for the best flavour. You could substitute with parma ham or serano ham instead.
- Glaze - a mixture of dark soy sauce and runny honey.
🔪 Instructions
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
- Stuff a whole almond into the cavity of each stoned prune.
- Lay the streaky bacon slices on a board and cut in half horizontally so you are left with long thin strips of bacon. Wrap a slice of bacon around each prune and secure with a cocktail stick.
- Place the bacon wrapped prunes in a baking dish. Mix together the honey and soy sauce and dip each 'devil' into the glaze and place in a baking dish.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 15 minutes until the bacon is crispy.
💭 Top tips
- Soak your cocktail sticks in water for 30 minutes prior to making the recipe, to prevent them from burning in the oven. I sometimes leave them in water overnight.
- If your prunes still have stones in, the easiest way to remove the stones is by using a sharp paring knife to make a lengthwise slit in the date, without cutting all the way through to the other side. Gently open the date, and carefully remove the stone with your fingertips.
🍴 Serving suggestions
Serve as part of a festive buffet alongside my puff pastry sausage rolls, brie and cranberry pinwheels, cranberry white chocolate blondies, and chocolate orange tiffin.
They are also delicious served with Christmas lunch itself, alongside juicy roast turkey or gammon, polenta roast potatoes, honey roasted parsnips and carrots, Brussels sprouts, slow cooker red cabbage, sausage meat stuffing, and bread sauce.
📖 Variations
- Swap the bacon for parma ham.
- Don't like nuts? Stuff the prunes with goats cheese or blue cheese.
- Can't find stoned prunes? Use stoned dates instead or remove the stones yourself (see 'top tips'!).
- Make them spicy by adding 1 tablespoon of sriracha chili sauce to the glaze.
- Swap the honey for maple syrup in the glaze for an extra sweet flavour.
🥡 Storage
You can prep the Devils on Horseback up to a day ahead and leave in the fridge (or a cold garage if you are running out of room in your fridge). Reserve glazing and baking them until just before you want to serve them so the bacon is crisp and the prunes are warm and soft.
I don't recommend reheating them as the bacon will not crisp up in the microwave. Fresh is definitely best!
❓ FAQs
An angel on horseback is simply an oyster wrapped in bacon and baked; a devil is a prune treated the same way!
Tried this recipe? Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ star rating in the comments!
Recipe
Easy Devils on Horseback
Ingredients
- 20 Prunes stones removed
- 20 Almonds
- 10 Streaky Bacon Rashers
- 3 tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 2 tablespoon Honey
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°c (180 fan/ 400F/ Gas 6).
- Stuff each pitted prune with 1 whole almond.
- Lay the streaky bacon rashers on a board and slice them lengthways down the middle of each one to create long thin bacon slices.
- Wrap 1 slice of bacon around each prune and secure in place with a cocktail stick that has been soaked in water.
- Mix together the honey and soy sauce in a small bowl and dip each 'devil' into the glaze, then place in a baking dish.
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
Notes
- Soak your cocktail sticks in water for 30 minutes prior to making the recipe, to prevent them from burning in the oven. I sometimes leave them in water overnight.
- If your prunes still have stones in, the easiest way to remove the stones is by using a sharp paring knife to make a lengthwise slit in the date, without cutting all the way through to the other side. Gently open the date, and carefully remove the stone with your fingertips.
- Swap the bacon for parma ham.
- Don't like nuts? Stuff the prunes with goats cheese or blue cheese.
- Can't find stoned prunes? Use stoned dates instead or remove the stones yourself (see 'top tips'!).
- Make them spicy by adding 1 tablespoon of sriracha chili sauce to the glaze.
- Swap the honey for maple syrup in the glaze for an extra sweet flavour
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Andrea
I'm fascinated by the name of this recipe! We just call them stuffed dates in America. I love the honey-soy glaze for that sweet-and-savory vibe.
Alejandra
These look like the perfect appetizer to make for a barbecue! So tasty!
Gina
Never knew this appetizer had a name! Love prunes and this is such a great way to use them for a delicious app!
Pam
What a fun name for your recipe! I've made dates this way, but never prunes and certainly didn't a clever name like that.
Toni
My family really enjoyed this! So good and delish!