If you’ve been here a minute, you know I can’t bake.
Okay fine, I guess it’s a little less *can’t* and a little more *don’t*.
It’s just that my style of cooking is much more rooted in flames and feels than the more precise techniques that bring us those tasty baked treats.
But that doesn’t mean I don’t get the occasional hankering to explore that side of the culinary world – and when I do, I pull from one of my favorite savory cookbooks, trusting that the also-flames-and-feels Chef who wrote the recipe won’t lead me astray.
So today we’re making Bacon and Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies from The Short Stack Cookbook by Nick Fauchald, Kaitlyn Goalen (and contributors from the Short Stack Editions).
Smoky, salty and sweet, these cookies have THE BEST TEXTURE – crispy on the outside, but chewy once you take a bite. If I had to guess, I’d say we can thank the bacon grease for that.
So without further ado…
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Ingredients
- 4 pieces thick cut bacon
- 5 tbsp bacon fat
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 11 tbsp butter
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 10 oz dark chocolate chips
Instructions
Step 1
In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until cooked through. This should take about 10 minutes.
Remove bacon from pan and cool on a paper towel-lined plate.
Once cool, chop the bacon into small pieces and set aside.
Step 2
Reserve the (WARNING: HOT) bacon fat in a bowl and refrigerate until it begins to firm up. This will take at least 20 minutes.
Step 3
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.
Set aside.
Step 4
Fit your stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
Put cooled bacon fat, room temperature butter and both sugars in the mixing bowl.
Mix for a couple minutes until light and fluffy.
Pro Tip: If you don’t have 5 tbsp of bacon fat, it’s okay to add more butter – just make sure there’s a total of 16 tbsp (or 1 cup) fat.
Step 5
Add one egg at a time to the mixer, mixing until incorporated after each.
Add the vanilla.
Add the flour mixture and beat until combined.
Step 6
Turn off mixer and remove bowl.
Using a wooden spoon, stir in chocolate chips and bacon pieces.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour (and up to 12 hours).
Step 7
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Line sheet trays with parchment paper.
Place tablespoon sized balls of dough on the sheet trays, about 2 inches apart.
Step 8
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden and firm, rotating pans halfway through.
Step 9
Let cookies cool for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
Enjoy!
Original recipe has been altered slightly.
For the real deal, pick up The Short Stack Cookbook by Nick Fauchald, Kaitlyn Goalen (and contributors from the Short Stack Editions) at your local bookstore.
