I’m not really known for my skills in the kitchen, especially when it comes to baking. It’s not for lack of trying, and if effort was directly proportionally to baking success, I’d be more famous than the Cake Boss.
I once made a cake that physically startled people as they walked past it. You know how people who get scared sort of move their bones but not their skin? Then they recover themselves and do a double take? Yeah that. Every time they walked by, even if they had seen it already, this cake caused their bodies to be physically revolted.
The magazine made it look so easy.
Magazines lie.
I don’t mind being inept really. I figure that if you can’t be memorable because you are good at something, at least no one will forget the person who gave them the scare of their life because of some utterly horrific baked goods.
Which is why I continue to try and make festive desserts year after year.
This year I decided to keep it a bit simpler though. Especially after the cake fiasco. I decided to make bark. Bacon bark. Because I’ve heard that chocolate and bacon go good together. Seems like an odd combination to me but I’m not one to turn down either of them, so why not combine them!
And this year I also have a special tool to help make it easier for me to attempt some holiday baking – Reynolds Disposable Bakeware with Parchment Lining!
Non-stick, convenient, super easy cleanup, and no oils or cooking spray needed. Right up my alley. And it allows me to focus on the yummy holiday treat!
- 8 slices of bacon
- 7 ounces dark baking chocolate
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- coarse sea salt
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Please bacon on parchment paper on a cookie sheet (or use Reynolds Disposable Bakeware with Parchment Lining) and bake for 15-20 minutes until slightly crisp. Remove from oven, place on paper towels to drain grease and allow to cool.
- Cut up 6 slices of bacon into ½" pieces, mix with 2 tbsp maple syrup and set aside. Cut up the remaining 2 pieces of bacon into ¼" pieces and set aside.
- Melt chocolate in a melting pot, microwave or in a bowl over a pot of water on the stovetop, stirring frequently. When chocolate is melted, add in the ½" pieces of bacon (w/ maple syrup) and continue to stir. Bacon may firm up the chocolate if it's cold, so continue stirring until softened.
- Pour chocolate and bacon mixture onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (or use Reynolds Disposable Bakeware with Parchment Lining) and spread to preferred thickness.
- Top with remaining bacon and sprinkle with sea salt.
- Put in freezer for 10 minutes, then break into pieces.
This recipe won’t fill up the entire pan, you probably want to double it if you want to fill the entire baking sheet with bark. This was so easy to make and cleanup was a breeze. I can take this to holiday gatherings or package up as gifts.
And it was delicious! Seriously. It’s that weird kind of delicious where you take a bite and aren’t sure, then find that you have eaten 5 pieces. Hypothetically…
If you haven’t tried bacon and chocolate together, you really should.
Make sure you visit Reynolds Kitchen for other great holiday recipe ideas and snag yourself a coupon for $1 off one Reynolds Bakeware item.
