2176. BACON COOKIES

makes about 20 cookies ... if you don't eat half the dough


1 1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup bacon grease
2 cups sugar
2 large beaten eggs
1/2 cup maple syrup plus extra for the candied bacon
2.5 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups flour
2 lbs bacon
1/2 cup white sugar for coating the dough balls

The Bacon: Line baking sheets with tin foil. Put racks on them, and lay out the bacon. It can overlap some, but not too much. Spread on a healthy amount of maple syrup, spreading it with a brush, if you have one. Bake at 350F for 15 minutes. Flip the bacon, spread on more maple syrup, and bake for another 15 minutes, or until perfectly crisp. Turn the oven off—the dough will need to chill out in the fridge for a little bit.

The Grease: Pour about 1/4 cup of the bacon drippings into a measure cup, and set aside.

The Cookie Dough: Melt the butter in the microwave and mix it with the sugar in a large bowl. Let the mixture cool (Since the butter will probably still be warm) and add the beaten eggs. Add maple syrup, baking soda, salt, and vanilla. Mix it all up.

The Bacon: Set aside about seven strips of bacon. Chop the other bacon up into smallish pieces. Mix chopped bacon into the dough. Add the flour and mix thoroughly. Chill the dough for at least 1 hour in the fridge. (Overnight is fine too.)

The Cookies: Roll the dough into walnut sized balls with your hands. Err on the side of small, because these fuckers will spread out, yo. Roll the balls in white sugar and place them on parchment lined cookie sheets, 12 to a standard sheet. Keep them at least an inch apart, but more if you have room to spare. They spread out and will mush together if you do what I did and put them too close together. Take your remaining bacon and cut it into half in pieces. Put a piece of bacon on the top of each cookie. Flatten them with a spatula or potato masher.

Put oven rack in the middle position. Bake at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes or until nicely browned. Cool on the cookie sheets while you clear off a place for the cookies to cool down further. You can shift the parchment paper off the cookie sheet and place it on, say, your washing machine, so you can reuse that cookie sheet.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Rose Meiri, Eat, Drink, and Be Meiri, December 20, 2010