You like cookies, don’t you?

By far the most popular items at Bacon Day were the sweets. We linked to the recipe Naseem used for Bacon Caramels, which were amazing. Although I have not traditionally been a fan of mixing my sweets and savories, I believe I’m being won over. Between the caramels and the chocolate fountain, I’m starting to sing a different tune. And let us not forget the cookies!

Maurie, the director of Genesis West (the theatre company for which Bacon Day raised funds), volunteered to help out by making some bacon-themed cookies for the event. His doll of a mother, Holly, also jumped in with a fury and came up with TWO new recipes. Three very different cookies, all equally enjoyed by our guests.

Maurie’s Elvis Bars were a tweak on Ina Garten’s Peanut Butter & Jelly bars. Simply substitute chopped bacon for the peanuts! You may remember that last year our friends Chrissy & Smiley made peanut butter & jelly sandwiches with bacon…these cookies partially made up for Chrissy & Smiley’s absence at this year’s event.

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups (18 ounces) creamy peanut butter (recommended: Skippy)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 cups (18 ounces) raspberry jam or other jam
2/3 cups crisp, crumbled bacon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch cake pan. Line it with parchment paper, then grease and flour the pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light yellow, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the vanilla, eggs, and peanut butter and mix until all ingredients are combined.

In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture. Mix just until combined.

Spread 2/3 of the dough into the prepared cake pan and spread over the bottom with a knife or offset spatula. Spread the jam evenly over the dough. Drop small globs of the remaining dough evenly over the jam. Don’t worry if all the jam isn’t covered; it will spread in the oven. Sprinkle with crumbled bacon and bake for 45 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and cut into squares.

Holly’s Chewy Bacon Chocolate Chunk Cookies make me drool just thinking about them.

2 cups + 2 tablespoons unsifted, bleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking solda
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 bars dark chocolate, broken into chunks
1 1/2 cups chopped crisp bacon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Mix flour, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl; set aside.

Mix butter and sugars until thoroughly blended – mixture should become almost caramel like in color and texture. Mix in whole egg, yolk and vanilla until thoroughly blended. Mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Stir in chocolate chunks and crumbled bacon.

Using tablespoon, drop dough onto parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake 12-14 minutes, reversing sheet position halfway through baking time. Cookies should be light brown with outer edges beginning to harden while centers are still soft and puffy. Cool on sheets until set, transfer to cooling racks to finish until chocolate begins to set. Yields 32 cookies.

And finally, Holly’s Bacon Breakfast Cookies. The secret ingredient is Rice Krispies! They make the cookie airier than normal oatmeal cookies.

1 cup Bacon Grease
1 cup Granulated Sugar
1 cup Light Brown Sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
� teaspoon Baking Powder
� teaspoon Salt
2 cups Plain Flour
2 cups Oatmeal
2 cups Rice Krispies
1 cup Chopped Pecans
1 cup Chopped Crisp Bacon

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Cream grease and sugars. Add eggs, vanilla and sifted dry ingredients. Mix well. Add aatmeal, Rice Krispies, pecans and bacon. Batter will be very stiff. Drop by teaspoons onto lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake 25-30 minutes. Yields 5 dozen.

So there you go, bacon cookie recipes galore! I can personally recommend them all; enjoy!