Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

I love my blogging friends and the blogging community. 

Why, you may ask? 

Because they are the geniuses who find and blog about recipes that I may not have come across otherwise on my own. And because of them, I am the queen of the office for a day because I bought them in to share with everyone. 

I was tipped to this delightful cookie by Cathy over at Accountants Can Cook?  who herself found this over at Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy. 

Be very careful when making this recipe. And by very careful, I mean make extra bacon because you ARE going to be nibbling on it and may be lucky to end up with eight pieces to put in the recipe. 

Now I am a bacon lover so this was right up my alley overall. And I will warn you that as good as they are the first day, they will taste even better the second day if you can hold onto them that long. 

BACON CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Cookie Ingredients:

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 large egg1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup Candied Bacon Bits (recipe follows)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325F. Line three baking sheets with a Silpat liner or parchment paper.
2. Beat the sugars and butter together until smooth. Mix in the egg, vanilla, and baking soda. Whisk together the flour and salt, then sift them into the batter. Stir in the chocolate chunks and bacon bits.
3. Using a small cookie scoop or a teaspoon, scoop the cookie dough into small balls, about 1-inch in diameter, and place them 2 inches apart on each of the baking sheets.
4. Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until pale golden brown. Rotate sheets halfway through baking for even browning. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
The cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 3-4 days, if they last that long!
Makes about 3 dozen 2-inch cookies.

Candied Bacon Bits adapted from David Lebovitz

Ingredients:
8 strips bacon

1/2 cup light brown sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Lay the strips of bacon on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or aluminum foil, shiny side down.
3. Sprinkle half of the brown sugar evenly over each strip of bacon.
4. Bake for about 15 minutes. Midway during baking, flip the bacon strips over and drag them through the dark, syrupy liquid that’s collected on the baking sheet. Add the rest of the brown sugar and continue to bake until a deep mahogany color. Remove from oven and cool the strips on a wire rack.
5. Once crisp and cooled, chop into little pieces, about the size of grains of rice.
Candied bacon bits can be stored in an airtight container and chilled for a day or so, or stored in the freezer a few weeks ahead.