Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bacon Cookies

Now I’m sure the first thing you’re thinking (as did most people when I told them about this recipe), is “Bacon cookies?” Yes, you read that correctly, and these sweet treats will take you to pork heaven. This is as easy to prepare as your standard basic chocolate chip cookie or peanut butter cookie recipes. The bacon comes into play in the form of its fat in place of butter in the recipe. So no, there aren’t chunks of bacon in the dough (although I’m sure that would be quite tasty). The bacon fat provides just a hint of swine-flavored savoriness to the overall taste. Add in the nuttiness from the almonds and peanut butter, plus the ever so infamous chocolate chip and you’ve got yourself a winning cookie on your hands.

This idea came to me from my weekend brunch shifts at The Spy. We would cook off full sheet trays of bacon at a time in order to prep for the mad rush of hungry New Yorkers headed our way to start their weekend day with delicious food and a refreshing daytime cocktail. Each time we would end up with quarts of fat at the end of the process—some of which would get used, but often times there was more than what we would know to do with. In the vein of a “waste not, want not” mentality I packed some up one day and carried it home at the end of my shift (and most likely after a few staff beers). Naturally, I thought it only fitting to bring a few for my former coworkers to sample on one of my last days in the city before I departed for camp. It was sort of a thank you gift for the past year full of laughter, tears, learning, injuries, completely inappropriate jokes, more kale than anyone should have to deal with in a lifetime, and an overall great experience (for the most part).

Ingredients:
(Yields 4 dozen cookies)

• 1/2 cup bacon fat
• 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F.
2. Cream together  bacon fat, peanut butter, and sugar until light and fluffy. Incorporate eggs into mixture.
3. Mix in salt, baking powder, and flour to form dough. Add chocolate chips and almonds at the very end.
4. Scoop onto a light metal cookie sheet; a dark one, such as that shown in the picture, will cause the bottom to burn. (You could also line it with a Silpat or parchment paper.) A metal scooper, such as one shown above, makes the cookie portioning process quite easy and helps ensure uniformity.
5. Bake in oven for 10 minutes. Let cool on pan for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a baking rack to cool completely.
6. Grab a glass of milk.

P.S. This is my 200th post! Thank you for your continued readership. I plan to continue sharing loads of great food, recipes, and stories with you. Feel free to email me or comment below with any ideas/questions/suggestions for ways I can provide you with the best content or posts you would like to see in the future.