Bacon Bourbon Chocolate Chip Cookies

Did I Read That Right?

You sure did.  Bacon bourbon chocolate chip cookies.  I have been DYING to share this recipe with y’all.  How in the world did I think of such an idea?  Well, I’ll tell you.  As much as I would like to take credit for coming up with such a genius concept, the inspiration was not my own.  I was talking on the phone with my mom yesterday and she told me that she saw these cookies on Cedar Ridge Winery’s brunch menu.  At first, I balked at the idea.  Then I thought to myself, “Why wouldn’t this work?”  I was intrigued.

The Cookies

These cookies are filled with some of my favorite things:  bacon, bourbon, and chocolate.

Bacon

Let’s start with the bacon.  It’s used twice in this recipe with the rendered bacon fat and the bacon bits.  You will want to cook the bacon until it’s nice and crispy.  Otherwise, you will have chewy bits of bacon in your cookie to gnaw on.  If you prefer chewy bacon, I guess that could work.  Raisins are about the same consistency and oatmeal raisin cookies are popular.  It all depends on if you want the texture of your bacon to be like a crunchy nut or a chewy raisin.  If you’d rather not add the bacon bits, you will be good omitting them as well.  You will get plenty of smokey bacon flavor from the fat.

When using the bacon fat, make sure you strain it well.  If left un-strained, you will be left with tiny pieces of black bacon ash in your fat as it congeals.  This may lend a burnt flavor to your cookies and alter their color.  You will want to wait until the rendered bacon fat is fully congealed and cooled before using it.  To help it along, I put it in the freezer.  If you do this though, keep an eye on it because it chills fast.

I decided to use a 50/50 mixture of butter and bacon fat.  The reason being is that if you used all bacon fat, the flavor would be incredibly smokey and overwhelming.

Bourbon

Let me start off by saying I don’t drink a lot.  I’ll maybe indulge in a glass of wine or a cocktail every few weeks or on special occasions.  That being said, two of my three “go to” cocktails are an old fashioned and a mint julep.  However, I never know which I like better in an old fashioned, the drink or the luxardo cherry 😉 .

I was a tad nervous about adding the bourbon because I didn’t want to water down my dough.  After adding a bit at a time, I decided to stop at two Tablespoons.  The dough tasted great and the bourbon flavor didn’t overpower the other ingredients.  Plus I noticed that my dough started to get a little curdled.  Have no fear though.  Once you add the flour mixture, everything will be as right as rain.  In hindsight, I probably could have gotten away with adding a Tablespoon or two more.

Chocolate and Sugar

I don’t really have much to add on this end.  I think the darker the chocolate the better as it adds more depth of flavor.  For the sugar, I decided to use a blend of dark brown sugar and granulated sugar.  The molasses flavor in the dark brown sugar complements the smokiness of the bacon nicely.

So feel free, indulge a little.  You have my permission (as if you needed it).  Cheers!

Blessings on your home and table.                                                                                                    ~Natalie

Bacon Bourbon Chocolate Chip Cookies

Serves 24

Ingredients:

• 8 slices of thick, fatty bacon, diced
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2-4 Tablespoons bourbon (depending on how much of a bourbon taste you want)
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or grease well.
2. Render the bacon fat over medium heat until the meat is crispy and you have 1/2 cup of fat.  Place bacon on a plate lined with paper towels and drain the rendered bacon fat through a sieve into a bowl.  Place bacon fat in the refrigerator until it has congealed.  Cut the diced bacon into smaller bits.
3. Using a food processor or a blender, pulse the oats for a few minutes until very finely ground, creating a flour of sorts.
4. In a small bowl, mix together the flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.
5. Cream together the butter, congealed bacon fat, and the sugars.
6. Beat in eggs, vanilla, and bourbon.
7. Gradually add the flour mixture until well combined.
8. Stir in the bacon bits* and chocolate chips.
9. Form dough into 1/4 cup balls and place on the cookie sheets.
10. Bake 10-15 minutes until lightly browned.  Let cool.

*Bacon bits are optional.  You can get a good smokey flavor without them, but if you want that extra bacon flavor, go ahead and add them.