Daily*Dishin: Chocolate Chip and Candied Bacon Cookies with Pecans

(Printable Recipe)

Come on, off course Candied Bacon makes a Chocolate Chip Cookie even better! It's chewy, sweet, little bit smokey, just a touch salty. You've got to do it. And here's what you'll hear, "Mine didn't have any bacon in it, but it was really good!" Candied bacon is not plain bacon. It's like candy.And here's how it all happens:

Press the bacon into brown sugar spread on a plate until it is coated well on both sides. I used 5 pieces of thick cut bacon for this recipe. If you use regular cut bacon you may need 6 or 7 pieces.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20-40 minutes, checking closely from 15 minutes on. Cooking time depending on the thickness of the bacon, which should be very dark and crunchy when done. Some edges may get too dark.

Don't forget to spray a rack really well with cooking spray to reduce sticking. Put this over a foil lined baking sheet to catch the mess.

There will be some really dark edges that may or may not be burned. Don't toss them without tasting! You may be surprised. Let everything cool well before attempting to break into small pieces.

Now, assemble the cookie ingredients. You'll need

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1-1/2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup rough chopped pecans

Start by creaming together both sugars and the butter until nice a smooth and fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time. I think it's safest to break eggs into a small cup and then slip them into the mix to avoid any mishaps. Removing eggshell from a cup is simple compared to trying to dig it out of an entire bowl of dough or batter. Also add the vanilla now.

Whisk the dry ingredients together briefly to combine well.

I like to use whole pecans and chop them myself with a chef's knife so the pieces are larger than the pre-chopped or "chipped" kind. The bacon is actually more difficult to chop than just break into pieces by hand.

Add these last three ingredients with a big wooden spoon rather than letting the electric mixer do it. This way the chunky nuts and bacon won't break down further, but will stay nice and chunky.

Bake them up at 375 for about 15-18 minutes. Keep an eye on them and remove when they're just beginning to brown. Bacon. It's not just for breakfast anymore.Oh, my, I really did just say that.