So let’s talk about bacon. Apologies to my kosher and vegetarian friends, but I’m going to level with you — Bacon is good stuff. Smoky, salty, a little sweet, with an edge that can only be described as “porky”. And the aroma! The smell of bacon frying is one of the most intoxicating scents in the world. It makes your mouth water just thinking about it, doesn’t it?
Bacon has also become ubiquitous. Whether it’s “home cured pork belly” at a fancy restaurant, or hiding in vegetables, pastas, or chicken noodle soup, bacon has become the it ingredient. It’s even showed up in desserts — the maple bacon doughnut at Voodoo Doughnut in Portland, Oregon was probably one of the earliest examples, but a quick browse through Tastespotting will reveal recipes for bacon brittle, bacon snickerdoodles, bacon cupcakes and even bacon macarons. I wish I could be all foodie snob and turn up my nose and say “Bacon is so DONE. It doesn’t actually go with EVERYTHING,” but the truth is that I, too, have been seduced by the beast. You may have noticed bacon popping up in recent and not-so-recent recipes, but I have never crossed into the dark side to feature bacon in a dessert.
Until now.
Bacon Salted Caramel Brownies. You may be skeptical. I was. Bacon in a dessert? And a chocolate dessert? Bacon doesn’t make EVERYTHING better. But my friend Rebecca happened upon this particular flavor combination when a colleagues dulce de leche brownies were put into a lunchbox with a bacon sandwich, and the aroma of the bacon flavored the brownies. “You must make these,” she said. And the idea struck a chord in my mind. Bacon Salted Caramel Brownies. Maybe it was a Twitter chat hosted by Scharffenberger chocolate, or a girlfriend telling me that David Lebovitz had told her that if she were going to try any one of his recipes, it should be the Dulce de Leche Brownies, or Alice Currah’s Bacon Caramel Bar recipe, but Bacon Salted Caramel Brownies appealed to me, and I couldn’t get them out of my head.
I started by frying some bacon, with its crisp crackle in the pan. And then I added it to my favorite salted caramel recipes, and infused the caramel with the scent and flavor of the fried rashers. And then I added the bacon (although it was all I could do not to eat the caramel covered bacon all on it’s own. And then, I made Mr. Lebovitz’s excellent brownies recipe, and added thick, rich dollops of salty, sweet, slightly bitter caramel, all suffused with the smoke and meatiness of bacon. These aren’t just brownies any more. And they’re not a novelty dessert. They’re something else entirely.
Maybe everything IS better with bacon.
Recipe: Bacon Salted Caramel Brownies
Summary: Adapted from David Lebovitz, Inspired by Rebecca
Ingredients
-
For the salted bacon caramel:
- 2 slices bacon
- 1/2 c. heavy creamv
- 1 c. sugar
- 6 T. salted butter
- 8 T salted butter, cut into pieces
- 6 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 3 large eggs
- 1 c. sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 c. flour
For the brownies:
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, fry two slices of bacon until crisp (I find it’s easiest to do this when the bacon is cut in half). Remove bacon, set aside, reserving bacon grease in the pan. Add cream to hot pan and let cool. When bacon is cool, crumble or chop finely.
- In a larger pan, heat the sugar over high heat until the mixture is liquid and a deep amber color. Add the butter and the cooled bacon cream all at once, and stir until the butter is melted. Add the chopped bacon and let the mixture cool thoroughly.
- Line an 8 inch square pan with two sheets of aluminum foil that covers the bottom and sides of the pan. Grease the foil with butter or a little Baker’s Joy.
- Scrape half of the batter into the prepared pan. Then drop about a third of the bacon caramel, evenly spaced, over the brownie batter in the pan. It doesn’t have to cover the whole batter, but should be in splotches. Spread the remaining brownie batter over the top, then drop spoonfuls of the remaining caramel sauce over the top of the brownies and swirl.
- Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, but err on the side of underbaking. Remove from the oven and cool completely. The caramel will be pretty gooey still, so you might want to wait to cut these until just prior to serving, and/or store in the refrigerator.
- Cut into small pieces and enjoy the gooey, salted caramel bacon goodness.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a large microwaveable bowl, melt the butter and the chocolate together in the microwave (start with 30 seconds, and stir thoroughly, then microwave for 10 seconds at a time, stirring between each bout of nuking, until the chocolate is melted and incorporated into the butter) (You can also melt them together over the stove). Add the cocoa and whisk until smooth, then add in the eggs, one at a time, and the sugar, vanilla and finally the flour. Stir only until combined.
Meal type: dessert
And a housekeeping note, congratulations to Carole, #45, the winner of the Auberge of the Flowering Hearth. Check your email, Carole!
These brownies are over the top!
Oh my word! Those look so amazing I am drooling all over the keyboard. Sorry about that. I’ve never used bacon in dessert either, though I’ve had it at restaurants. Those look ooey gooey chocolaty, salty, and delicious!
Holy….
The girls at my book club are always poking fun of me for bringing bacon-wrapped something-or-other every month. I’m totally making this for next month’s book club. It looks FABULOUS, and they will crack up that I’ve managed to dig up a recipe for brownies that includes BACON.
Bacon makes ANYthing better!!
I have never tried bacon in a dessert, but this actually sounds good! Don’t know if I’d ever get up the courage to make it.
Kate – Just stopping by to say I love your blog. Thanks for your help with my feed questions via food blog forum. I like the length of yours and the way you handle the transition. Hopefully I’ll get mine sorted out.
I’m speechless.
Very, very interesting combination. Looks like something that should be on Food Network! Thanks for sharing these delectable brownies. I made caramel brownies a couple weeks ago, using this recipe: http://www.recipe4living.com/recipes/caramel_brownies.htm
Scrumptious. My hubby will be into these, I can tell you and it will be a fine showcase for some of our homecured pancetta!
OMG! I can’t wait to try this! I too love the smell, the taste, and just the thought of bacon. I included the link to my interview with an executive chef whose menu might as well revolve around pork. I’ll have to send him over to this page:) Thanks for sharing!
This sounds so good! The combination of salty and sweet is one of my favorite flavor combos — not to mention I LOVE bacon. Hope to see you on Saturday!
They sounds so delicious! I love bacon
Recipe -- Blueberry Ricotta Muffins with Lime | Savour Fare // Apr 14, 2010 at 5:38 am
[...] I’m not much of a muffin girl. Despite my rather extreme sweet tooth, I don’t tend to like sweets for breakfast, and most muffins are just cupcakes without frosting. And the times I actually want something sweet — elevenses or tea time — a muffin doesn’t quite cut it. I might as well have the frosting. Or a cookie. Or a bacon salted caramel brownie. [...]
Decadence and excess: Salted Caramel Bacon Brownies « Soufflé Days // Apr 27, 2010 at 9:34 pm
[...] The brownie base is adapted from my favorite, David Lebovitz. The rest of the recipe is the creation of Kate from Savour Fare. See the recipe here or go to her site here. [...]
I made these last night. They’re delicious, although I didn’t quite achieve the pretty swirled look. I just knew, given how fast I go through bacon chocolate bars, that these would be a hit! Thanks for the recipe!!
100 Ways to Cook Bacon « The Dorm Chef // Jun 4, 2010 at 3:09 pm
[...] Bacon Salted Caramel Brownies: [...]
Oh my, this looks *fabulous*! Lindsey @ Great Full Day blogged about dark chocolate bacon caramel brownies, and when I google-image searched, your post came up — I hope you don’t mind that I’ve shared two of your pics here, with credits + a link to you!
Parmesan Rosemary Chicken | Savour Fare // Jul 23, 2010 at 3:07 pm
[...] kitchen of Spring (her actual name), the lovely mama of my lovely friend Rebecca (progenitor of the Bacon Salted Caramel Brownies – these people know good food.) Spring is very English but has lived in California for years [...]
Continuing my Salted Caramel Obsession… « A Prima Vista // Aug 9, 2010 at 10:06 am
[...] one I want to play with a bit is the Bacon Salted Caramel Brownie from Savour Fare– I love the idea of bacon flavoring the brownie with the salt, but not so sure about the [...]
Tried these today! I made them into little mini cupcakes for a cookie/dessert exchange at work!
Bacon Salted Caramel Brownies, and Spring « cozybogie // Apr 10, 2011 at 2:39 pm
[...] I wanted to try my hand at something similar. Lo and behold, I found an amazing recipe on Savour-Fare and I knew I had to try it! I made a few adjustments, noted below, and this was a really delectable [...]
A new adventure in savory/sweet food combinations! These were a huge hit. I admit it was difficult to resist eating the bacon caramel by itself. My kids turned up their noses at the thought of such a combination but now there’s more for me. Next time, I may double the recipe.
I love bacon, the way it tastes and smells, and I like it especially when it’s smoked, but I’ve never made bacon as part of a dessert, because I usually don’t mix sweet and salty. Nevertheless, these brownies looks delicious and I have to try it. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Brownies are for breakfast, especially when they have bacon in them | Pass The Sushi! // Jun 7, 2011 at 8:00 am
[...] discovered on Steph’s Bite by Bite, adapted from Savour Fare [...]
Fantastic website. Plenty of helpful information here. I’m sending it to a few pals ans also sharing in delicious. And naturally, thank you to your effort!
Recipe: Bacon Salted Caramel Brownies — Rosalilium // Jul 25, 2011 at 11:02 pm
[...] Recipe from Savour Fare [...]
Bacon Makes it Better // Aug 9, 2011 at 10:09 am
[...] Print This! Caramel Bacon Brownies adapted from Savour Fare [...]
My girlfriend asked me if I had made these, after I shared your blog with her. I said that I had not, but I would when she came to visit me. That day was today, so I made these this morning for her and her family. Big hit! We took them to the beach with us, so they were warm and gooey by the time we ate them and that was just perfect. Thank you!
arglebargle and resolve (and good music) « The Tipsy Knitter // Sep 7, 2011 at 7:04 pm
[...] Dessert, as promised yesterday, was a rather insane caramel brownie (sans bacon). People, if you want to treat yourself, make these brownies. You’ll be so glad [...]
Finally! Someone who uses baker’s chocolate and not brownie mix! Thank you!
Moving on, I have made similar versions without the caramel using maple bacon and subbing some of the butter for bacon grease, then topping them with smoked sea salt. Amazing. I have to try the salted caramel version though.