Bacon Brownies. Photo by Felicia Orth

Food On The Hill

Bacon Brownies

You can blame or credit Janice Muir of Los Alamos and Facebook for this one, even though she did not send me the recipe directly. Janice is a friend on Facebook and IRL (in real life), and my Facebook newsfeed informed me that she liked, or “liked,” King Arthur Flour. Clicking on the item meant that I saw several subsequent posts from his highness’ flour company, each of which featured a recipe. I tried the bacon brownie recipe, modified it to reduce sugar and served it at the monthly Los Alamos Mountaineers Club meeting this last week. Based on the Mountaineers’ response, I will make them again for a crowd.

The experience had me thinking about how the way in which I now find and share a recipe is so very different from the past. As a girl, the only recipes I made came from my mother’s or my grandmother’s loose collection of recipes; each consisting mostly of handwritten index cards, typed half-sheets and yellowed newspaper clippings. As a younger woman, I enjoyed reading cookbooks, purchased many of them, and received some as gifts.

I still have those cookbooks, and regularly refer to some favorites, but more often use new recipes from the Internet. Friends don’t share index cards; they send new recipes in email. And although I used to set out hard copies of the recipes I used when I cooked for a crowd, to make sharing easy, these days folks just ask “Will you be putting this in the Post?” When they are ready to make the recipe, they need only use the search function.

My passion remains for cookbooks I can flip through and paper recipes I can refer to easily on the kitchen counter, but I have to acknowledge the charm of a serendipitous connection on Facebook. Thanks, Janice!

Photo by Felicia Orth

Bacon Brownies

Note: I made these brownies with candied and un-candied bacon. Personally, I preferred the un-candied bacon. It was less sweet, and the juxtaposition of sweet, salty and smoky was delicious. The flavor of the candied bacon was effectively disguised by the brown sugar. The candied bacon was delicious out of hand, and a big hit with friends, but much more subtle as a brownie topping. If you really enjoy the flavor of bacon, don’t candy it.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces uncooked bacon
• brown sugar, to coat, approximately ½ cup, optional
• 2/3 cup cocoa, Dutch-process if possible
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup white or whole wheat flour, or a mix
• 1 tablespoon espresso powder, or instant coffee granules, optional
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil, or a mix of bacon grease and vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons water

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the bacon strips in a single layer on parchment paper on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with brown sugar if desired. Bake until dark and crisp, 30-40 minutes. Remove the bacon from the oven, transfer the strips to another sheet or platter and allow to cool before crumbling or chopping into small pieces. (I used a fresh piece of parchment on the platter; do not transfer the bacon to a paper towel or it will stick.). Drain the bacon grease into a measuring cup if using with the vegetable oil.

2. Lightly grease an 8″ square or 9″ round pan.

3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sugars, salt, flour, and coffee. Add the eggs, oil, and water, mixing just until smooth. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan, smoothing the top. Sprinkle the chopped bacon over the brownie mixture.

4. Bake the brownies for about 35 minutes, or until a fingertip does not leave an indentation, or a toothpick can be removed from the center cleanly. Serve warm or cool to room temperature and refrigerate until ready to serve.