Bacon Smack Cookies

• 3/4 pound thick-cut bacon
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 2 cups light brown sugar
• 3 cups plus 2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• About 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (12 tablespoons), at room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups coarsely crushed graham crackers
• 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup toffee bits, such as Heath
• 1 cup dried cranberries

1. Preheat the oven to 325.
2. On a foil-lined baking sheet, bake the bacon in a single layer for 10 minutes, until cooked through.
3. Brush the bacon with 1/2 cup of the maple syrup, sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the brown sugar and bake for 20 minutes, until caramelized and crisp.
4. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain.
5. Pour the fat into a measuring cup and refrigerate until solid, at least 30 minutes.
6. Let the bacon cool completely, then coarsely chop.
7. In a large bowl, whisk the flour with the cream of tartar, salt, baking soda and baking powder.
8. Add enough butter to the chilled bacon fat to make 1 cup and transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle.
9. Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar and 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
10. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time.
11. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined.
12. Using a spatula, stir in the bacon, graham crackers, chocolate chips, toffee bits and cranberries.
13. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough until chilled, at least 1 hour.
14. Scoop 1/4-cup mounds of dough onto 2 parchment paperlined baking sheets, about 3 inches apart.
15. Gently flatten the cookies and bake for about 18 minutes, until golden at the edges and set in the centers; rotate the sheets halfway through baking.
16. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a rack to cool completely while you bake the remaining cookies.

bacon, maple syrup, light brown sugar, flour, cream of tartar, kosher salt, baking soda, baking powder, butter, eggs, graham crackers, bittersweet chocolate chips, toffee bits, cranberries

Taken from www.foodandwine.com/recipes/bacon-smack-cookies (may not work)