Bacon Almond Brittle
Making candy is something I don’t do often enough. When I’m in the mood for some kitchen therapy, my mind just doesn’t go there. Bacon, on the other hand, my mind goes there a lot. I was working on cleaning out our freezer when I came across a pound of bacon.
I set out to find a recipe to highlight bacon in a sweet treat and stumbled upon this Bacon Almond Brittle. I was instantly intrigued and set out to make the recipe. I cooked the bacon a couple days in advance of making the candy so that it would be quick and easy.
As you can see in the pictures, my caramel came out pretty dark. I definitely burnt it a tiny bit. The clip on my candy thermometer had broken and I don’t think I was getting a good reading from it. Right when I was getting frustrated that things weren’t progressing very quickly, the color started to change very quickly. I cut the heat and mixed everything in, but it had already gone darker than I was expecting.
At the end of the day, I enjoy the taste of burnt caramel, so it wasn’t a complete disaster, but if you’re more careful than I was, yours might not be this dark.
This Bacon Almond Brittle would make a great holiday gift because it makes a fair amount and would ship well. I enjoyed the combination of the smokey/salty bacon, the pepper, and the caramel in this brittle. Next time, I’ll keep a closer eye on it so it’s not so dark though!
One Year Ago: Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Beets
Two Years Ago: Roasted Beet Hummus and Cranberry Harvest Festival
Five Years Ago: Banana Blueberry Muffins
Bacon Almond Brittle
Bacon and peppercorns take almond brittle to new dimensions
Yield: 3 lbs
Ingredients:
4 to 6 slices of good quality bacon
2 cups salted dry-roasted almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp light corn syrup
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp water
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, at room temperature
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 salt
1/2 tsp crushed peppercorns
Directions:
Cut the bacon into bite-sized pieces. Place the pieces in a large saute pan and cook over medium heat until crispy, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towel-lined plate and set aside. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat, waxed paper, or parchment paper---set aside. Combine salt, baking soda, and pepper---set aside.
In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water. Cook this mixture on medium-high heat for about 4 minutes, or until the sugar turns thick and syrupy. Slowly add the softened butter and continue stirring until the mixture emulsifies. Keep cooking and stirring until all the water has boiled off and mixture is golden brown, between 300°F (150°C) and 320°F (160°C).
Remove the pan from the heat. If the mixture is not smooth, whisk until it is smooth. Stir in the baking soda, salt, peppercorns, crispy bacon bits, and almonds. Quickly but carefully pour the brittle onto the prepared baking sheet.
Once the brittle has cooled and hardened, break it into bite-sized pieces or larger chunks. Store in a tightly sealed container for up to 1 week.
Recipe from I Love Bacon!, as seen on gastronomy
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
I would never think to serve bn squash this way! Clever!
omg this looks fabulous. I love the spicy, sweet sauce! I am making this for Thanksgiving apps!
Ok, now THIS is the way to get my husband to eat squash!
Congrats! This post is featured in this week’s “Recipes of the Week” round-up on BostonFoodBloggers.com: http://www.bostonfoodbloggers.com/2010/11/recipes-of-week_17.html
what a fabulous idea 🙂
Bacon makes everything better!
This looks amazing! I did something with acorn squash and bacon this weekend, but this looks infinitely better! Maybe I’ll try it for Thanksgiving.
What a delicious way to serve up squash! This looks amazing.
Well I’ve never tried squash wrapped in bacon before….maybe I’d be singing a different tune? I’ve never met anything covered in bacon that I didn’t like..
Squash wrapped in bacon..Sounds yum and am sure it will be a hit at my place…
Yum! I had prosciutto on hand, so I used strips of that.. I did some with crushed red pepper flakes rather than jalapeño .. My family preferred without the pepper-they thought it just tasted better that way…I tried all ways and it is just a yummy, flexible recipe! Thanks!
beantownbaker — December 1st, 2013 @ 6:48 pm
Glad this recipe worked out for you and your family!