Bacondoodles!

Last Thursday, I told you about some crazy things bakers are doing with bacon lately.  This weekend, I decided to test out the Bacondoodles recipe that I saw on the amazing blog, Pork, Knife and Spoon.  Susan features a photo tutorial in her post, so I didn't take pictures myself.  My cookies looked just like Susan's, so I'm using her photo, below, since I'm tré jealous of her pretty pink plates!

The recipe came together exactly as she described.  The only time I deviated from her instructions was the baking time. She said 7-9 minutes, or until the edges are light brown.  Well, the problem is, they are coated in cinnamon & sugar, so I'm not quite sure how you can tell if they are done or not based on color.  I found that I needed to keep them in closer to 11 minutes.

The results - YUM!  I was really surprised!  The maple extract gave them a sweet flavor, and the bacon provided just enough salt and texture to really set them off.  I'm not a fan of crunchy cookies, so I was pleasantly surprised that these cookies also had a nice chewy texture as well, retaining their moisture, which I really loved!

Word to the wise - watch your pan temperature when cooking your bacon! My pan was a little too hot when I first started out, and I got hit with a couple sprays of oil when the bacon started poppiing, and I still have 3 or 4 red burn marks on my forearm. 

Between the bacon burn and my oven burn last week, this may be in my future...

xoxo,
  Kim

You Put Bacon In What?

I love any kind of cooking show. Top Chef, Master Chef, Next Iron Chef... if there's "Chef" in the title, it's probably on my DVR.  One thing I've been noticing on all of these foodie shows is the use of bacon in baking!   Yes, bacon in baked goods; everything from frostings, to cupcakes, to cookies - you name it, people are putting bacon in it.

My initial reaction to this craze was: um, ew?  But all of these foodies can't be wrong... can they?

I'll be in Lancaster this weekend to work on cake pop stand business, but I'll definitely have some downtime.  My mom and I love to bake together, so I'm thinking it may be time for a little experiment?  Here are the top three recipes I'm considering:

Bacondoodles (Snickerdoodle + Bacon): Recipe

Chocolate-Oatmeal Cupcakes with Maple-Bacon Buttercream: Recipe

Golden Beer Cupcakes with Beer & Bacon Frosting: Recipe

Which one should I try?   Would you eat a baked good with bacon in it?

xoxo,
  Kim