CANDIED BACON

Candied Bacon   Candied Bacon I like bacon. I do. But against what seems to be the social norm these days, I like bacon in moderation. There I said it. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, I am clear to move on with a clear conscious. A friend of mine is an avid bacon lover. Well, he'd been talking about the fifty (50) pounds of bacon he'd been curing and it got me to thinking about things I could make with the bacon I currently had in my fridge. I've been on a bit of an ice cream and sweet treats kick lately so thinking of bacon made me think of candy and so this blog was born. Candied Bacon can have different flavors. One common flavoring is maple while another is spicy chipotle and even a combination of both sweet and spicy with the saltiness of the bacon is wonderful. While this treat can be eaten with breakfast, I've made mine to be sampled as an Hors d'oeuvre and to be added to other desserts, like say bacon brownies, chocolate dipped bacon, or bacon ice cream just to name a few. Luckily, this recipe is super easy to make and requires just 2 or 3 ingredients and a modicum of time. My family was wild over candied bacon. But again, all things in moderation. Ingredients:  12 slices bacon, about 1/4-inch thick Finely ground black pepper (optional) 1/3 cup light brown sugar Equipment: 2 baking sheets, preferably the same size Directions: Preheat the oven to 325 °F. Put all the bacon slices in a large bowl, season them with pepper (optional) and toss with the brown sugar. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and arrange the bacon in a single layer on top. Sprinkle any sugar left in the bowl over the top of the bacon. Top with another layer of aluminum foil and top it with another baking sheet. The baking sheet keeps the bacon flat as it cooks. It you need more room, add another tier following the same instructions. Place the tray in the center of the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Check the bacon by lifting the top tray and parchment. If it is not yet crisp, cook it for 10 to 15 minutes longer. Check it again. The bacon will crisp up a bit more as it cools. Caution: The syrup on the bacon is very sticky and hot. Hot sugar will cause serious burns so use caution when transferring your bacon to the cooling tray. Avoid paper towels as it will stick. Cool and enjoy.