New Year’s Resolution: EAT MORE BACON.

Ok, that title is a lie for me, but it shouldn’t be for people reading my blog (if any.. ha)! Seriously… if it wasn’t for the 8 pounds I gained since October than I would be making a resolution to eat more bacon too. I’m gonna calm down with the baking these days, but I figured I needed to have one last “hurrah” before I do, and what better day to do it than this first day of the new decade, when homes around the country are having their traditional duck feasts and pig roasts? Why not put the protein in my cookie instead? I think it’s only logical. I saw this recipe for Bacon Chocolate Chip cookies (yes, that’s right… BACON) on another blog not too long ago and have been dying to try it, so why keep putting it off any longer, especially if the new year is supposed to instill a sense of proaction?

The combination of salty and sweet is absolutely divine here… if it works for chocolate covered pretzels than why not bacon-infused cookies? I should bake bacon into things more often from now on…

My only beef (or should I say pork) with this recipe was that my cookies came out rather flat and not too soft… probably because I made them tiny in order to have a larger quantity of them. I will look for a better cookie dough recipe next time I make them, and I’m also gonna use REAL bacon too (since all I had on hand was turkey bacon)… the full fat makes a HUGE difference, especially in making it “candied” beforehand, as many of my strips burned and dried out very quickly…

Anyway, here is the recipe for what is perhaps my new favorite cookie recipe. Even if your New Year’s resolution entails laying off the sweets like mine, give yourself a little wiggle room and allow an exception just this once. Enjoy, and Happy 2011!

Candied Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies
(adapted from Closet Cooking)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

• 1/2 cup granulated white sugar

• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed, plus about 1/3 cup more for making the candied bacon

• 1 egg

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• 1 and 1/8 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 tsp. baking soda

• 1/4 tsp. salt

• 2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

• 10 strips bacon*

• sea salt, for sprinkling

Directions:

(1) First, make the candied bacon: Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack in it. Lay out bacon strips on a flat surface and rub in some brown sugar on both sides, then transfer to the prepared pan, laying strips flat on the wire rack. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the bacon strips are very dark and caramelized. You may want to flip the strips over at some point in the middle of the baking time. They should look something like this:

(2) When the strips are done, immediately transfer them onto a sheet of parchment paper to dry so that they won’t stick to the wire rack. This may be a messy process. Once cooled off, chop the bacon into little “bits” or smaller strips and set them aside.

(3) Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until just incorporated.

(4) In another bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Combine this mixture with the wet ingredients, mixing gradually until just combined. Mix in the chocolate chips and bacon until your batter looks something like this:

(5) Drop spoonfuls of the batter onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet, and sprinkle a little sea salt over each one. Bake at 350 F for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are slightly golden brown.

* If using turkey bacon, reduce the baking time during step 1 and keep a close watch on the bacon so that it doesn’t burn, as turkey has a much lower fat content.