3978. CHOCOLATE COVERED BACON CHOCOLATE KISS COOKIES

makes about 40


1/2 pound unsalted butter, browned

2/3 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

pinch salt

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 1/2 cups All Purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

12 pieces Chocolate Covered Bacon, chopped (see note)

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

40 unwrapped Hershey’s Kisses

Preheat oven to 325. Line 2 baking sheets with a SilPat or parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the browned butter for 3 minutes to cool, then beat butter with the sugars, salt, and vanilla, about 2 minutes. Add in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition.

In a separate bowl, whisk the flour and baking soda. Add to the other ingredients on low speed, until just combined. Stir in the bacon and chocolate by hand. Chill dough for 10 minutes.

Portion out the cookies onto the baking sheets, roughly 12 cookies per sheet (I used a cookie scoop). Cookies will spread a bit, but not much. Allow 1-2 inches between cookies.

Bake for 12 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges. Remove and press a Hershey Kiss into the center. Return to oven for 2 minutes. They will likely not LOOK done, but they will be. Remove from oven and cool for 2-3 minutes on the pan, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store in an air-tight container.

Serve and enjoy!

Notes:

These cookies appear undone at 14 minutes, but will be very light brown on the edges. They are done! Do not overbake.

To make chocolate covered bacon, you really only need two things: chocolate, and, um, bacon.

You can either use pre-cooked, store-bought bacon (that’s the easiest), or, you can bake the bacon until crispy, let it cool, and then pat the excess grease off of it.  From there, simply melt some dark chocolate and spoon it on to the bacon, thoroughly coating it.  Allow it to dry, and voila – chocolate covered bacon.

bacon recipe source: Susan Whetzel, DoughMessTic.com (@doughmesstic), February 18, 2013

3951. BACON CHOCOLATE MORNING CUPCAKES

Makes: 18


2 cups flour

1¼ cups brown sugar
2 tsp. instant espresso powder (on the coffee aisle)
1½ tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 very ripe medium banana mashed
1 egg
3/4 cup miniature chocolate chips
1/3 cup cooked bacon crumbled
Bacon Oat Crumble (optional topping; recipe below)
1/2 cup chocolate chips melted

Preheat oven to 350°F and line 18 muffin cups with paper liners.

Stir together flour, brown sugar, espresso powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer. (Don’t worry if there are a few lumps of sugar.)

Add milk, butter and banana; beat for about 1 minute on medium-low speed. Add egg and beat for 1½ minutes more on medium-high speed. Stir in chocolate chips and bacon.

Pour batter into prepared muffin cups and sprinkle with Bacon Oat Crumble, if you like. Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool slightly before drizzling with melted chocolate.

Bacon Oat Crumble: Using your fingertips, mix 1 cup oats, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup crumbled cooked bacon, 2 tbsp. softened butter and 1 tsp. instant espresso powder in a medium bowl until crumbly. Sprinkle over cupcake tops before baking.

bacon recipe source: Raley's Supermarkets (@raleys), 500 West Capitol Ave., West Sacramento, CA 95605

3874. CHOCOLATE-OATMEAL CUPCAKES with MAPLE-BACON BUTTER CREAM

For the Cupcakes:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature, more for pans

1 cup cake flour or all-purpose flour

'2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped, or chocolate chips

3 tablespoons uncooked instant oatmeal

For the Frosting:

8 thick strips bacon, in 1/4-inch dice

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

3 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons heavy cream

2 tablespoons crème fraîche

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups confectioners’ sugar

Flaky salt or fleur de sel, for garnish.

To make cupcakes, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 12-cup muffin tin and line with cupcake liners; set aside. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon; set aside.

In a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, combine butter, both sugars and salt. Cream on medium speed until light and fluffy, 5 minutes. With machine running, add eggs one at a time, and mix until well incorporated, 2 minutes. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl, turn mixer speed to low, and add 1/4 of the dry ingredients. When no traces of flour remain, add 1/3 of the buttermilk and mix until incorporated.

Continue alternating flour mixture and buttermilk, ending with flour. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl, and gently mix in chopped chocolate and oatmeal. Divide among muffin cups; each should be 3/4 full. Bake until a tester comes out clean, 30 minutes. Turn out of tin and cool completely on a wire rack.

To make frosting, in a heavy skillet, cook bacon over low heat until fat is rendered and meat is crisp. Set a sieve over bowl of mixer, and pour skillet contents into sieve. Reserve bacon bits. You should have no more than 3 tablespoons bacon fat in mixer bowl; set aside additional bacon fat for another use.

Return skillet to heat and add butter. Butter will melt, then foam, then separate into golden liquid and white solids. Let butter cook, scraping bottom of pan occasionally to prevent burning, until milk solids toast and turn brown. Transfer browned butter to mixer bowl and refrigerate until cold.

In separate bowl, combine milk, cream, crème fraîche, vanilla and maple syrup. In mixer bowl, cream bacon fat and brown butter with salt until smooth. Add confectioners’ sugar and mix at medium speed until fluffy, about 8 minutes. With mixer running, pour in milk mixture and continue mixing until smooth. Refrigerate until cold.

With small offset spatula, fluff frosting until soft and spreadable but not runny. Spread about 3 tablespoons frosting on each cooled cupcake. Sprinkle a pinch of bacon bits and a pinch of flaky salt on top. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate up to 6 hours.


bacon recipe source: Erin Cooks, February 22, 2009; adapted from The New York Times, February 18, 2009

3791. CHOCOLATE CHIP TOFFEE BACON COOKIES

makes about 48 cookies

2-1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup toffee bits

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

3/4 + 1/2 cup (about 10 slices) baked bacon, crumbled

Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 2 cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in a stand mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating on slow speed until well blended. Mix in toffee bits, 3/4 cup crumbled bacon and chocolate chips. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least two hours to overnight. This will help prevent the cookies from spreading when you bake them.

Remove dough from the fridge 10 minutes before baking. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto prepared cookie sheet. Top each cookie with the 1/2 cup bacon crumbles. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly then switch from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

bacon recipe source: MarlaMeridith.com (@MarlaMeridith), December 31, 2015

3742. CHOCOLATE, CARAMEL, MARSHMALLOW, WHISKEY and BACON BARK

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 cups mini-marshmallows
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon whiskey
Approximately 25 caramels, unwrapped
2-3 strips of crisp bacon

Prepare an 8x8 inch pan by lining with parchment or foil sprayed thoroughly with non-stick cooking spray. {Create flaps that hang over edges for easy removal.} Set aside.

In a medium microwave-safe bowl, heat semi-sweet chocolate chips in 30 second intervals until melted and smooth. {Be careful not to scorch, even when it looks like it's not fully melted it will continue to melt as you stir, so err on the side of caution.}

Pour about half of melted chocolate into prepared pan and smooth evenly with a silicone or offset spatula. Place in freezer to harden, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, place marshmallows, butter, and whiskey in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on high for about 45 seconds. {Keep an eye on it, marshmallows will swell and try to escape the bowl!} Stir and return to microwave for about another 45 seconds. Stir until smooth and elastic.

Pour onto set chocolate layer and, working quickly, smooth evenly. {If you're not using a silicone spatula, you may want to spray whatever you are using with cooking spray so that you don't have a sticky mess to deal with.}

Return to freezer and freeze for another 15 minutes.

Clean marshmallow bowl {or don't, it's really up to you}, and place unwrapped caramels into it. Heat for about 45 seconds, then stir, and continue heating in 30 second intervals until melted and smooth.

Pour over marshmallow layer and spread evenly. {And quickly! It will cool fast.}

Return to freezer for 15 more minutes.

Reheat remaining chocolate until warm and smooth and pour over caramel layer. Smooth evenly and, while still wet, sprinkle with crumbled bacon. Pat bacon crumbles down lightly so that they stick to chocolate.

Freeze for a final 15-30 minutes or until completely set.

When ready to cut, remove bark by gently pulling on foil flaps, then carefully peel foil from hardened chocolate. Cut into pieces with a sharp knife.

{Keep refrigerated. Bark becomes slightly gooey & floppy at room temp.}

bacon recipe source: Dianna Muscari (@TheKitchenPrep), The Kitchen Prep, September 10, 2012; adapted from Whiskey Disks, Hammerstone's Whiskey Disks, PO Box 269, Chocorua, NH 03817

3684. DEEP-FRIED BACON-WRAPPED CHOCOLATE-COVERED TWINKIES

serves four


vegetable oil for deep frying
4 Twinkies, frozen
2 slices bacon, halved
1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate chips

Heat the oil in a deep fryer according to the manufacturer’s directions or in a large saucepan, over medium heat, until the oil reaches 375 degrees F.

Wrap each frozen Twinkie with half a slice of bacon. Use skewers or long toothpicks, as needed, to secure the bacon.

Carefully deep-fry a bacon-wrapped Twinkie until the bacon is fully cooked, 1 to 2 minutes, turning to cook evenly. Remove from the oil and set on a paper towel-lined plate to cool. Repeat with the remaining Twinkies. Allow to cool slightly.

Pour the chocolate chips into a deep microwave-safe glass bowl. Microwave on high power (100%) in 30-second intervals, stirring after each, until the chocolate is melted.

Frost each bacon-wrapped Twinkie with the melted chocolate. Serve immediately.


bacon recipe source: The Twinkies Cookbook, 85th Anniversary Edition: A New Sweet and Savory Recipe Collection from America's Most Iconic Snack Cake (Ten Speed Press, 2015); Wall Street Journal, September 16, 2015

3600. CHOCOLATE BACON BUNDT CAKE

Chocolate Cake:

1 box devil's food cake mix

1 box instant chocolate pudding mix

4 eggs

2/3 cup oil

1 cup sour cream

3/4 cup buttermilk or milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips

 

Chocolate Glaze:

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons butter, melted

2-4 tablespoons milk

6-8 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease your Bundt pan well. Sift cake mix into a small bowl to remove any lumps and add instant pudding mix to it. In a large bowl, combine eggs, oil, sour cream, buttermilk and vanilla. Stir in cake mix and instant pudding mix until smooth. Add chocolate chips and stir again. Dump into prepared pan and spread out evenly. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean.

 

Glaze: Combine powdered sugar, butter and 2 Tbsp. milk. Add more milk if needed to reach a pourable consistency.

 

Pour glaze over cooled cake and spindle bacon on top. Go heavy on the bacon, your man will appreciate it.

 

 

bacon recipe source: Lizzy Mae Early, Your Cup of Cake (@LizzysCupOfCake), August 15, 2013

3581. BACON-CHOCOLATE MOUSSE with MAPLE WHISKEY CREME

makes 12+ servings


Mousse:
12 oz. best quality semi sweet chocolate chips 
1/2 cup sugar 
3 eggs 
1 cup hot milk 
1 tablespoon vanilla extract 
4 slices of thick sliced bacon, cooked crisped, drained and cooled 

Maple whiskey creme: 
1 cup of heavy cream 
1/2 cup of powdered sugar 
1/4 cup of pure maple syrup
1 - 1/2 tablespoons whiskey
1 teaspoon maple extract 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Mousse: Combine chocolate, sugar, and eggs in a blender and blend until combined. Add hot milk and vanilla. Blend until smooth. Stir in finely chopped bacon. Pour into demitasse cups, mini martini glasses or ramekins and chill at least 2 hours. (This can also be poured into a prepared graham cracker crust and served like a pie.) Top with a dollop of maple whiskey crème

Maple whiskey creme: With an electric mixer, Whip the crème and sugar until thick. Add syrup, whiskey and extracts and whip to desired thickness. Serve on mousse.


bacon recipe source: tamaralittrell (member), BakeSpace (@bakespace)

3591. CANDIED CHERRY and BACON CHOCOLATE CHIP ICE CREAM

serves 1 pint


1/2 pound (8 oz) sour cherries, pitted
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
few drops of almond extract

 

Ice cream:

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup whole milk

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

pinch of salt

2 egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup cooked bacon, chopped

1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Make the candied cherries: In a medium saucepan, heat the cherries, water, sugar, and lemon juice until it starts to boil. Turn the heat down to low and cook for 25 minutes, stirring frequently during the last 10 minutes to ensure they are not sticking. Once the syrup is reduced to the consistency of maple syrup, remove from the heat and add the almond extract. Let the cherries cool in their syrup. After cool, drain the cherries in a strainer over a bowl for about 1 hour. Reserve 1/2 cup candied cherries; save the rest and the syrup for another recipe.

 

Make the ice cream base: Pour 1/2 cup cream into a medium heatproof bowl and set it in an ice bath. Place a strainer on top.

 

In a medium saucepan, heat the remaining 1/2 cup cream, milk, sugars, and salt until the sugars have dissolved.

 

In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Slowly whisk in the warm milk mixture then pour it all back into the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon with a temperature of 160-165F. Remove from the heat. Pour through the strainer into the reserved cream and stir. Whisk in the vanilla. Let cool in the ice bath until room temperature.

 

Cover the bowl with a lid or or plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold. Place the custard into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the company's directions or place the bowl in the freezer, whisking every 30-45 minutes to break up the ice crystals. When it is a few minutes away from being completely firm, stir in the reserved 1/2 cup candied cherries, chopped bacon, and chocolate chips.

 

 

bacon recipe source: Carla Cardello, Chocolate Moosey (@chocolatemoosey), July 20, 2012

3295. BAKED APPLES with OATS, BACON, CHOCOLATE and RAISINS

yields four servings

2 bacon strips, finely chopped

4 crisp apples

2 tablespoons old-fashioned rolled oats

1 tablespoon finely chopped dark chocolate (or small chocolate chips)

2 tablespoons finely chopped raisins

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons Calvados, divided

½ cup apple juice or apple cider

2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 cinnamon sticks

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a small skillet set over medium heat, add the bacon and cook, stirring often, until it is browned and crisp, about 6 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate, saving the bacon fat.

Trim off a thin slice from the bottom of each apple so it stands upright. Use an apple corer or melon baller to make a wide well in the center of each apple, discarding the seeds. Set the apples in a square baking dish.

In a medium bowl mix, together the oats, chocolate, raisins, crispy bacon and 1 tablespoon of the warm bacon fat. Divide 2 tablespoons of Calvados among the apple cavities, then stuff each apple with some of the bacon-oat mixture.

To the baking dish, add the remaining ½ cup of Calvados and the apple juice. Drizzle the maple syrup over the top of each apple and top each with a ½ tablespoon of butter. Add the cinnamon sticks to the baking dish and bake the apples for 25 minutes.

Baste the apples with the liquid, then loosely tent the apples with a piece of aluminum foil and continue to bake until a paring knife easily slips into an apple, 20 to 25 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and cool 15 minutes before serving with the roasting juices.


bacon recipe source: Tasting Table Test Kitchen

3229. CHOCOLATE COVERED BACON TOFFEE

2 cups butter
2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sliced almonds
10 slices bacon, cooked and chopped (should make about one cup)
3 cups semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Layer a jelly roll pan with aluminum foil. Put a glass measuring cup next to the pan.

In a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat, melt the butter, sugar, and salt. Stir regularly until the mixture boils and comes to a 285 degrees F.

Once the mixture has reached the right temperature, quickly stir in the almonds, and then the bacon. The fat is going to melt off the bacon immediately and separate from the rest of the mixture.

Pour it all into the jelly roll pan. It will start to set quickly, and the bacon fat will be liquid and on top. Lift the pan with one of the corners pointed down and pour off the fat into the glass measuring cup. Get as much of it as you can, turning the pan and dripping from the opposite corner as necessary.

Let the toffee set for at least two hours in the refrigerator. Move to the freezer for an hour.

Once the toffee is frozen, break it apart and keep it in the freezer. Melt the chocolate according to the package directions, and taking a few pieces of toffee out of the freezer at a time, dip it in the chocolate, setting it on wax paper to set.

Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Lisa Longley, wine & glue, April 26, 2013

3210. BACON CHOCOLATE SABLE COOKIES

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
11 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel or 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or a generous 3/4 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips
12 strips high-quality uncured bacon, cooked until crisp and drained of fat

Sift the flour, cocoa and baking soda together. Set aside.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add both sugars, the salt and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes more.

Turn off the mixer. Pour in the dry ingredients, drape a kitchen towel over the stand mixer to protect yourself and your kitchen from flying flour and pulse the mixer at low speed about 5 times, a second or two each time. Take a peek—if there is still a lot of flour on the surface of the dough, pulse a couple of times more; if not, remove the towel. Continuing at low speed, mix for about 30 seconds more, just until the flour disappears into the dough—for the best texture, work the dough as little as possible once the flour is added, and don't be concerned if the dough looks a little crumbly. Toss in the chocolate pieces and bacon, and mix only to incorporate.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather it together and divide it in half. Working with one half at a time, shape the dough into logs that are 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 3 hours. (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. If you've frozen the dough, you needn't defrost it before baking—just slice the logs into cookies and bake the cookies 1 minute longer.)

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Using a sharp thin knife, slice the logs into rounds that are 1/2 inch thick. (The rounds are likely to crack as you're cutting them—don't be concerned, just squeeze the bits back onto each cookie.) Arrange the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between them.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12 minutes—they won't look done, nor will they be firm, but that's just the way they should be. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the cookies rest until they are only just warm, at which point you can serve them or let them reach room temperature. 


bacon recipe courtesy of: Sarah, broma bakery, March 13, 2012; adapted from Dorie Greenspan's World Peace Cookies, Baking: From My Home to Yours (Houghton Mifflin, 2006)

3171. BACON, WHITE CHOCOLATE and MACADAMIA NUT COOKIES

yields four servings


8 tablespoons butter, softened
4 tablespoons bacon fat, chilled
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
12 ounces white chocolate chips
3/4 cup macadamia nuts
1 cup bacon, cooked and chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream together butter, bacon fat, brown sugar and sugar with a mixer. Beat until smooth. Scrape the sides. Gently incorporate eggs, add vanilla and continue beating for a couple of seconds. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking soda. Pour flour mixture into butter, sugar and egg mix and whisk until all of the flour is incorporated. Scrape down the sides with a spatula. Add white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts to the mixture. Mix until chocolate and nuts are evenly distributed throughout batter. Add chopped bacon pieces, then chill batter for 10-20 minutes in refrigerator. Cut batter into uniform portions, and place on cookie sheet. Place in preheated oven for 12-16 minutes based on thickness of cookies. Rotate the pan halfway through. Let cool before serving.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Hatfield Quality Meats, 2700 Clemens Road, P.O. Box 902, Hatfield, PA 19440, May 10, 2013

3087. PEANUT BUTTER BACON FUDGE

12 strips maple-smoked bacon, with 2 strips reserved for garnish
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon maple extract

Coat an 8-inch-square pan with cooking spray. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon, turning several times, until browned and done, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Chop finely. Reserve 2 of the chopped slices for garnish. Combine all ingredients except bacon in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir continuously until chips and butter are melted, and mixture is thick and smooth. 4.)Remove from heat. Stir in bacon. Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle the reserved chopped bacon on top and lightly press with your fingertips. Cover with aluminum foil and chill in the refrigerator until firm, at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight. Slice into 7 equal rows to create 49 squares. It’s a good idea to use a ruler to ensure equal-sized pieces. Serve at about room temperature.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Bacon Dessert Recipes

2934. BACON, BOURBON and HAZELNUT HOT CHOCOLATE

makes four servings


4 thick-cut slices of bacon
1/2 teaspoon corn starch
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
pinch kosher salt
3 cups whole milk
4 ounces milk chocolate chips
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips
4 ounces Frangelico
4 ounces Bourbon 
whipped cream and chopped toasted hazelnuts for garnish

Cook bacon in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-low heat until crisp and rendered. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Pour fat into a small bowl and stir in corn starch with a fork.

In medium saucepan, stir cocoa with sugar and salt. Stir in reserved bacon fat/corn starch mixture, milk, milk chocolate, and bittersweet chocolate. Heat over medium heat until, stirring constantly, until chocolate is melted and mixture is hot. Gently whisk to completely homogenize mixture.

Add Frangelico and bourbon. Pour into individual serving cups. Top with whipped cream, chopped toasted hazelnuts, and a strip of bacon. Serve immediately.


bacon recipe courtesy of: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, Managing Editor, Serious Eats, February 8, 2012

2741. CHOCOLATE and BACON LASAGNA with APPLE JUICE and CANDY

1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
4 slices bacon, pan fried and fat drained
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup milk
1 cup flour 
salt, pinch
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 pound butter
1/2 cup mascarpone

In a double boiler, melt chocolate chips. In a small bowl, combine milk and flour. Add a pinch of salt. Add sugar. If mixture is too thick, add milk. It should have the consistency of a batter. In a non-stick pan, add a pat of butter and swirl around to ensure bottom of pan is coated. When butter is foamy, add enough batter to coat pan. When crepe begins to cook, flip to cook other side. Cook all batter. On a flat surface, place 1 crepe. Coat with mascarpone and top with another crepe. Layer a thin chocolate spread. Rotate ingredients until you have used all crepes. Spread chocolate and sprinkled chopped bacon on top. Gently cut with square mold squares out of the stack. Serve.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Casey Thompson, Top Chef, Season 8, Episode 2, Quickfire Challenge, Bravo TV

2740. CHOCOLATE-COVERED BACON ON A STICK with MARCONA ALMONDS and DRIED CHERRIES

serves twelve


12 slices of thick-sliced apple or hickory wood smoked bacon, skewered lengthwise
2 cups high quality semi sweet chocolate chips

6 tablespoons butter 

1/8 teaspoon sea salt 

1/2 cup finely chopped marcona almonds

1/2 cup finely chopped dried cherries

demerara or turbinado sugar for sprinkling

Cook bacon: Preheat the oven to 400. Place skewered bacon on a broiling pan. When oven is ready, bake the bacon until crisp, about 20 - 25 minutes in the top third of your oven. When done, set the pan aside and let the bacon cool. Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with wax paper and set aside. 

Prep assembly line: Place bowl of finely chopped almonds and bowl of finely chopped cherries next to the bacon. Place Demerara sugar next to that. When your chocolate is done, you will have an assembly line of bacon, melted chocolate, cherries, almonds, and Demerara sugar.

Prep chocolate: Place semi sweet chocolate and butter in a shallow microwaveable bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Stir. Continue to microwave in 15 second increments, stirring after each one, until the chocolate and butter have melted. When melted, add a the sea salt and stir to combine.

Cover bacon in chocolate: Using a pastry brush, coat both sides of each piece of bacon with melted chocolate and place on baking sheet. If your bowl of chocolate sauce cools and hardens before you are finished brushing it onto the bacon, just stick it back into the microwave for 20 seconds or so. 

Sprinkle with almonds, cherries, and sugar: When all of the bacon is covered in chocolate, work with one piece at a time and cover with toppings. While the chocolate is still warm, place some of the chopped cherries over the chocolate on one side of a piece of bacon. The cherries are sticky so it is a bit of work. Sprinkle that side with the almonds and a pinch of Demerara sugar. Flip that piece over and do it again so that both sides are sprinkled with cherries, almonds, and Demerara. Do this for each piece of chocolate covered bacon. Refrigerate until hardened. Serve.

bacon recipe courtesy of: Waverly (member), Food52, New York City

2732. CHOCOLATE BEER BATTER CUPCAKES with MAPLE BACON FROSTING

makes approximately 24 cupcakes

Cupcakes

1 cup Guinness

1 stick butter

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 cup chocolate chips

2 cups flour

1-1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Maple-Glazed Bacon 
3 strips bacon

1/3 cup maple syrup 

Frosting 

8 oz. block cream cheese, softened

1 stick butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon candied bacon drippings

Preheat oven to 350. Line two muffin tins with cupcake liners and set aside. In a pot or large sauce pan, simmer the beer and butter on medium until butter is completely melted. Add cocoa powder and chocolate chips and stir until your mixture smooth. Take off heat and set aside to cool. In a large bowl, stir eggs and yogurt together until smooth. Slowly add chocolate mixture and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and stir until well combined. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Turn oven up to 375, and line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Lay your bacon strips across a baking rack and place the rack on the foil-lined baking sheet. Using a pastry brush, brush each strip of bacon with a layer of maple syrup. Bake for 10 minutes, basting strips again about half way into that time. Flip your strips over, baste, and bake for another 10 minutes. Baste your bacon one last time, and stick them back in the oven for another 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. While your cupcakes and bacon strips are cooling, start making your frosting. In a large bowl, beat together butter and cream cheese until smooth and well-incorporated. Add powdered sugar, maple syrup and bacon grease. Mix until smooth. Spoon frosting  into a piping bag, and frost each cupcake. Slice one piece of bacon into 1-inch strips and press one piece into each frosted cupcake. Crumble the rest of the candied bacon and sprinkle them on top of the cupcakes. Enjoy immediately, with a big glass of milk.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Tina, Just Putzing Around the Kitchen, June 11, 2012

2530. DULCE DE LECHE, BACON, COCONUT and CHOCOLATE CHIP MAGIC BARS

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 ounces bacon, finely diced
3 cups sweetened shredded coconut (6 1/2 ounces)
12 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup salted roasted almonds, chopped
One 16-ounce jar dulce de leche (recipe below)
One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

Dulce de Leche
1 quart whole milk
12 ounces sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Combine the milk, sugar, vanilla bean and seeds in a large, 4-quart saucepan and place over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved, add the baking soda and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low and cook uncovered at a bare simmer. Stir occasionally, but do not re-incorporate the foam that appears on the top of the mixture. Continue to cook for 1 hour. Remove the vanilla bean after 1 hour and continue to cook until the mixture is a dark caramel color and has reduced to about 1 cup, approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer. Store in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to a month.

Dulce de Leche recipe courtesy of: Alton Brown


Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a 9-by-13-inch metal baking pan with parchment paper, leaving up to 1 inch of overhang. Spray the paper with vegetable oil spray.

In a medium saucepan, cook the butter over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and browned, about 4 minutes. Scrape the butter into a large bowl and freeze just until solid, about 15 minutes.

Using a handheld electric mixer, beat the sugar, vanilla seeds and egg yolk into the butter at medium speed until blended. Add the flour and salt and beat until moistened crumbs form. Press the crumbs into the prepared baking pan and bake in the lower third of the oven for about 25 minutes, until the crust is set and lightly browned.

Meanwhile, wipe out the bowl used to make the crust. In a medium skillet, cook the bacon over moderately high heat until browned and crisp, about 5 minutes. Drain the bacon on paper towels and let cool. In the bowl, toss the coconut with the chocolate chips, almonds and bacon.

In another bowl, whisk the dulce de leche with the condensed milk; pour two-thirds of it in the crust. Lightly press the coconut-bacon mixture over the dulce de leche. Drizzle the remaining dulce de leche mixture on top.

Bake the bars for 35 to 40 minutes, until lightly browned on top. Transfer the pan to a rack and let the bars cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Carefully remove the bars from the pan and peel off the paper. Cut into bars and serve.


bacon recipe courtesy of: LoveFeast Table, December 13, 2010 | Grace Parisi, Food & Wine

2485. BROWN BUTTER BACON CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
14 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
4 oz semisweet chocolate bar, diced into 1/4″ pieces
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons milk chocolate, grated
1 cup bacon that’s been fried until crispy and diced into roughly 1/4″ pieces

Put your oven rack in the middle and heat your oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk 1 3/4 cups flour with 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. Set this aside.

Fry up a few pieces of bacon. You want the bacon to be as crisp as possible without being burnt. Cut the bacon into roughly (and this is very roughly) 1/4″ pieces.

Heat 10 tablespoons of butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat until melted. Continue cooking until it turns a dark, golden brown and smells divine. Swirl this pan constantly and stir the bottom frequently for good measure. As soon as it’s done, take off the heat and pour immediately into a heatproof bowl. Stir in remaining 4 tablespoons of butter so that they melt.

Put the butter in a large mixing bowl and add 1/2 cup sugar, 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar, 1 teaspoon salt and 2 teaspoon vanilla.

Add egg and egg yolk and mix until mixture is fully incorporated.

Let sugar/egg/butter mixture stand for a few minutes. Whisk again for 30 seconds. Do this several times–you want to make sure that the sugar has “melted” into the liquid. When ready, mixture will be smooth, thick and shiny.

Chop chocolate. Grate your milk chocolate

Using wooden spoon, stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Stir in grated chocolate, chocolate chunks and bacon pieces. Don’t over mix but make sure no flour pockets remain.

Using a teaspoon, place a heaping teaspoon of cookie dough on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper. I get about 14 cookies per baking sheet.

Bake for 10-14 minutes, until cookies are golden-brown and set along the edges but the middle is still soft. Remove from oven and set baking sheet on a wire rack and let cool for at least 10 minutes, keeping the cookies on the baking sheet.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Kristina, Mouth from the South, August 3, 2009 | adapted from Cook's Illustrated, America's Test Kitchen