Category — Basic Chocolate Chip

Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

Originally uploaded by dieselboi

You said it! Bacon! While I tell many I’m pretty darn sick of the whole bacon meme with the geeks, I do love me some bacon. Granted, most of the time, I lean vegetarian, but if you put 1/2 lb of pepper bacon in front of me, I may just eat it.

Why Bacon chocolate chip cookies? Why not? There’s bacon apple pie at a restaurant down the street - Lincoln. Why can’t there be bacon cookies. This recipe is my basic cookie recipe but I added about 2 cups of cooked chopped pepper bacon to the mix. I was low on chocolate chips, so added in white chips for the fun of it. Wow, what a flavor. You don’t get much mouthfeel of the bacon, but you do get the flavor. It isn’t overpowering, just there. A little like how the orange zest adds something light and fruity, the bacon adds savory. Mix that with the sugar and chocolate and…well….you got a cookie hack.

In the last 24 hours, I have made more cookies than I can eat, so I think I need to share. Want some? I plan on bringing some to the OurPDX meetup Tuesday night at Davis St. Tavern in NW Portland. Come enjoy.

Bacon White Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup Tillamook butter (unsalted)
3/4 cup organic brown sugar
3/4 cup organic sugar
2 large white eggs  (Stebbs Farms Cage Free veggie diet)

2 1/4 cups flour (I used normal unbleached flour from Gold brand)
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp organic vanilla extract
1/2 bag Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Chocolate Chips
1/2 bag Ghirardelli Classic White Chips
2+ cups chopped cooked pepper bacon (about 1lb)

Mix the butter, sugar and vanilla in a bowl.  Add eggs and beat.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Chill in fridge for about 30 minutes to firm up.   Drop onto cookie sheet the size of a spoonful.  Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.

I’m cooking a batch of cookies right now.  I call them a basic batch because I chose to use the recipe on the back of the chocolate chip bag.  I could have surfed the web for the best recipe or asked my mom if she had one handed down from relatives, but I chose to go basic.  My thought is I can always build on a basic recipe.  And that is what I intend to do.  I plan on hacking this recipe in ways I can’t even imagine.  Many add oatmeal or nuts or M&Ms.  I’m going to take it a little further if I can and I ask you for suggestions and recommendations.  With each recipe, I’m going to highlight brands whether an item is organic or not.  I want to play with different ingredients to see if the flavor or makeup of the cookie changes.  Let’s have some fun.

The Black and White

1 cup Tillamook butter (salted)
3/4 cup organic brown sugar
3/4 cup organic sugar
2 large white eggs  (Stebbs Farms Cage Free veggie diet)

2 1/4 cups flour (I used normal unbleached flour from Gold brand)
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp organic vanilla extract
1/2 bag Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Chocolate Chips
1/2 bag Ghirardelli Classic White Chips

Mix the butter, sugar and vanilla in a bowl.  Add eggs and beat.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Drop onto cookie sheet the size of a spoonful.  Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.

Notes:  I took the advice of a friend to chill the cookie dough after mixing it all together.  This holds everything together and keeps the cookie a consistant shape.  I also chose to put the cookies down on wax paper instead of directly onto the cookie sheet.