Candied Bacon

I made Sean a few treats on Sunday for an early Valentine's Day present.  Because we both LOVE bacon, I knew this recipe would be perfect for a sweet and savory surprise.  And... it was.  The brown sugar and crushed nuts that coat the bacon caramelize in the oven creating a sweet crunchy crust around the strips as they bake.  The result is super addicting!  We had this as a pre-dinner snack, but it would also pair wonderfully with dessert.  (Such as the chocolate cookie dough truffles, below!)

Ingredients:

1 lb (or less, as much as you want to make) sliced bacon

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup crushed nuts (use whatever you have on hand - walnuts, pecans, hazlenuts, almonds... etc.)

2 T flour

Directions:  Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Cover a broiler pan and the tray underneath with foil to make the clean-up easy.  Mix together the sugar, flour, and nuts in a bowl.  Dredge each slice of bacon in this mixture and place it on the broiler sheet.  I pressed more on top of each slice because it didn't seem like that much was sticking.  *If you are allergic to nuts, I would just add more sugar and I'm sure it will still taste amazing.

Bake for approx. 30 minutes, or until golden-brown and barely crisp.

 Let the slices cool for a couple minutes before you remove them from the pan.  We found that the foil stuck to the bacon slightly, but it was easy to peel right off.  Break the slices into two or three pieces and stack on a plate to serve!  (if they even last long enough to make it to a plate)  Sean paired the snack with a glass of Buffalo Trace bourbon. 

I made sure Sean knows I love him more than bacon... but this recipe comes in as a close second!