Bacon Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

No, what you're looking at is not breakfast-for-dinner (although that's one of my favorite things to do). What you are about to experience is an experiment in cookie cookery, a project that was inspired by a new friend. This friend, who dislikes sweets (blasphemy), fortunately has a fondness for bacon that I aim to exploit.

So why bacon oatmeal chocolate chip cookies? 

1. Bacon & oatmeal feel like a perfect pair. They taste fabulous together in the AM. One has a hearty grainy texture, the other has a salty crunch. They're what get you out of bed on cold weekend mornings. These are the things I dream of!

2. Opposites attract. We're seeing a lot of "usual" pairings lately. Many of these new flavor combinations work to combine sweet & savory: salt & chocolate, peppercorns in desserts, more fruits in meaty entrees. Chocolate & bacon is a couple that's becoming increasingly popular. I had to give it a go on my home turf. 

In order to make the bacon extra crispy, I baked it at 350 degrees on a wire wrack over a sheet pan. Instead of using Pam or parchment paper during the baking process, I used the bacon drippings on the sheet pan to prevent the cookies from sticking. Not only did the cookies slide off effortlessly, the added bacon flavor really punched these babies over the edge.  

These cookies are soft, chewy and have a mellow bacon flavor mixed in with the chocolate chips. Here's my theory, you can eat more of these than you can other cookies because their taste is so interesting! It's not like eating a batch of regular chocolate chip cookies that become sickeningly sweet after 5 cookies or so (ok, maybe 10) They're not too sweet. They're not too salty. You can keep munching & munching. Much away chillins.  

Bacon Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies 

Ingredients: 

4 strips bacon 

6 tablespoons butter, melted

1 cup brown sugar 

1/2 cup granulated sugar 

1 egg

1/2 cup applesauce 

1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract 

3 cups old fashioned oats 

1 1/4 cups ap flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

1/4 teaspoon baking powder 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place bacon on a wire wrack over a baking sheet. Bake the bacon until crispy, about 8 minutes. Let the bacon cool but leave the bacon drippings on the cookie sheet.

2. Melt butter in the microwave. In a large bowl mix melted butter and sugars with a wooden spoon until combined. 

3. Mix in the egg, applesauce, and vanilla. 

4. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour. baking powder, baking soda and salt. 

5. Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. 

6. Mix in the oats & chocolate chips. 

7. Crumble bacon into the cookie dough. Mix to combine. 

8. Use a paper towel to spread bacon drippings evening over the cookie sheet. 

9. Drop tablespoons of cookie dough 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet. 

10. Bake cookies for 10 minutes. 

11. Let the cookies cool on a wire wrack. 

Eat 'em. I hope they go over well with my sweet-hating friend. Enjoy!