We’re fond of baking with bacon.  Our Berkshire-breed, applewood smoked bacon makes these cookies a carnivore favorite.

Cookies for dessert? Yes. Cookies for breakfast? Sure! These hearty oatmeal cookies are studded with crumbled bacon, toasted pecans, and two kinds of apples, then sprinkled with maple sugar for an extra dimension of flavor. They’re sweet and salty, chewy and crisp – delicious no matter when you eat them!

Ingredients

6-8 slices applewood smoked bacon
1 1/2 cups pecans
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1 cup granulated sugar
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 cup chopped Granny Smith apple
½ cup chopped dried apple
Coarse grained maple sugar

Preparation

1. In a skillet set over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Drain bacon slices on paper toweling then chop. Set aside, along with 1 tablespoon of bacon fat.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

3.Place the pecans on a sheet pan and bake for 5 minutes, until crisp. Set aside to cool. Chop coarsely.

4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, bacon fat, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla.

5. Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together into a medium bowl. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Stir in the oats, apples, bacon, and pecans and mix just until combined.

6. Drop 2-inch mounds of dough onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper or silicon mats. Flatten slightly with a damp hand. Sprinkle the top of each cookie with maple sugar. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Transfer the cookies to a baking rack and cool completely.