With a small sharp knife, make a lengthwise slit in one side of each date and remove the pit.
Stuff about 1 teaspoon of cheese into the cavity.
Cut bacon slices in half, widthwise, to make 12 pieces.
Lay the filled date on one end of a half slice of bacon. Roll up and secure with a toothpick.
Preheat the air fryer to 390°F. for 3 minutes. Place the wrapped dates in the air fryer basket so they are not touching each other. Set the timer for 8 minutes. When time is up, open the air fryer drawer and either give the basket a good shake or use tongs to flip the dates over. Continue cooking for 3 - 5 minutes, or until bacon is crisp.
Drain on paper towel. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container.
Notes
The easiest way to stuff dates is to fill a piping bag with goat cheese and use a frosting tip to pipe it into the cavity. An even easier way is to buy the goat cheese in a tube, snip off one of the corners, and squeeze it into the date.
If you're using blue cheese or cream cheese, just use a small spoon. For Manchego, simply cut a small slice. Use about 1 teaspoon of cheese per date, depending on their size. Don't overfill, or the cheese will melt and leak out while the dates are baking.
Thinly sliced bacon works best, as it cooks faster. You'll only need half a slice for each date.
Wrap each date so that there is just a small amount of overlap and secure it with a toothpick. To prevent the bacon from coming off the date, make sure to insert the toothpick in the meaty part of the bacon and not the fat. If the bacon slice has too much of an overlap, part of it will not cook evenly.