from Cake & Loaf
Let’s be honest, everything’s better with bacon – real bacon from your local butcher or, even better, bacon cured at home. None of that preservative-laden moisture-injected grocery store bacon for these cookies please. Swapping bacon fat for some of the butter in these cookies really gives them a smoky richness that balances so well with the semi-sweet chocolate. If you cannot get enough of that salty and sweet balance, try topping the cookies with flaky sea salt for an extra salty boost.
Makes 26 5-inch cookies
Ingredients
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ pound (225 g) bacon, cooked and chopped into ½ inch pieces, fat reserved
6 to 8 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and warm
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
½ tsp salt
1 large egg, room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup good quality semi-sweet chocolate chunks
1 to 2 Tbsp flaky sea salt (optional)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Sift the flour and baking soda into a small bowl and stir together.
In a small glass bowl or measuring cup, combine up to 2 tablespoons of the reserved bacon fat with enough melted butter for 8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) total. If the mixture cools, warm it in the microwave.
In a large bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt and warm butter and fat mixture until smooth and there is no oily film left around the edges.
Whisk in the egg and vanilla, adding a little air, until the mixture is smooth and is light in colour.
Whisk in the egg and vanilla, adding a little air, until the mixture is smooth and is light in colour.
Stir the flour mixture, chocolate chunks, and bacon chunks into the wet ingredients and mix until no dry flour remains. Be careful not to overmix.
Scoop thirteen 1 ½ tablespoon portions of cookie dough onto each prepared baking sheet, leaving ample space between them. Sprinkle the flaky sea salt (if using) over the cookies before baking. Bake, one sheet at a time, for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly brown and golden brown around the edges. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Nada’s Tips & Tricks: I LOVE sweet and salty treats, so this cookie made me very happy. I also added a little maple syrup to the bacon after they were nice and crispy – put a little Canadiana into it!
Excerpted from Cake & Loaf by Nickey Miller and Josie Rudderham © 2022 Nickey Miller and Josie Rudderham. Photography by Nickey Miller. Published by Penguin, an imprint of Penguin Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/625155/cake-and-loaf-by-nickey-miller-and-josie-rudderham/9780735239838
