Maple Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

Remember a while back when I posted about how these cookies were in my top 5 Best Cookies EVER?  Welp, add these to the list.  Seriously.

When I told people that I was making these, I got a gamut of reponses...

"Are you crazy?  That sounds disguting!" 

"YUM, that sounds amazing!"

"You can't treat a chocolate chip cookie like that!"

"Anything with bacon is ok in my book!"

One thing that should be made clear up-front...if you don't like bacon, you won't like these.  I thought that would be a given, but I was mistaken.  

For me, though, bacon is life-changing.  It is perfect in every way.  If there was a cook book called "The Joys of Bacon", I'd probably die of a sodium overdose.

Ok, so maybe I'm exaggerating a bit...

(::No seriously, I love bacon, it's delish::)

This recipe is fairly flexible in that you can use your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and just add the bacon.  The recipe below is my favorite...I've been using it for so long that I don't know where I first found it, but if you like flatter, less cake-y and more chewy cookies, this one is for you!

Last but not least...PLEASE keep an open mind if you're put off by the thought of these at first.  They really are fantastic! I've had nay-sayers try them and thoroughly enjoy every bite.

Maple Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

•  2/3 cup flour
•  1/4 cup brown sugar
•  1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup maple cured bacon (about 4-5 slices)

Step 1: Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Step 2: Cook your bacon!  Make sure it is cooked to a nice crispness, but not burnt.  When it is done, set it aside on a paper towel to allow the grease to drip off.

Step 3: Mix together butter and brown sugar/granulated sugar until light and fluffy.

Step 4: Add egg and vanilla and mix.

Step 5: In a separate bowl, mix together flour, salt, and baking soda.

Step 6: Add this to your sugar mixture and stir until combined.

Step 7: Put dough in refrigerator for half an hour to chill.  During this time, you can chop up your bacon.  Be careful not to chop too finely.

Step 8: Remove dough from refrigerator and add bacon and chocolate chips.

Step 9: Place balls of dough on a pre-greased cookie sheet.  If you make gigantic cookies, it should look something like this...

Step 10: Bake for 9 minutes.  DO NOT OVERCOOK!  The edges should be golden brown but the middle should look slightly undercooked.  Then set aside to cool.

Enjoy!

The secret is using maple cured bacon...it adds that hint of sweetness to the bacon without being completely overpowering.  It really is a great flavor/texture combination...give it a shot! ;)

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