Peanut Butter And Bacon Cookies (Aka Man Bait)
- For the cookies
- 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour (scoop and level method)
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2-3 pinches ancho chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 5-7 strips of bacon (about 1/3 lb. uncooked weight)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons bacon fat (chilled until just solid)
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter; all natural preferred (no extra salt or sugar in it)
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped honey roasted peanuts (optional)
- Rolling sugar-salt
- 1/3 cup coarse sugar in-the-raw, such as Demerara
- 1 tablespoon very coarse sea salt
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Combine the coarse sugar and sea salt in a low shallow dish and set aside.
- Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, chili powder and kosher salt in a bowl; set aside
- Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until very crisp, about 4 to 6 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Strain and reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings and put in fridge to cool. Crumble the bacon, discarding any chewy bits.
- Beat the butter and reserved bacon fat in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Beat in the peanut butter until combined, about another minute. Beat in the granulated and light brown sugar until creamy, about 2-3 minutes, then add the egg and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 more minutes.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low; add the flour mixture in 2 additions, scraping down the bowl as needed. Mix each addition on low speed until just combined; don't overwork the dough. Stir in the crumbled bacon and chopped peanuts if using.
- Form the dough into 24-36 balls (about 1-1/4 inch diameter) Roll the balls in the sugar-salt mix, pressing slightly so it sticks. Place on baking sheet about 2 inches apart (the cookies will not spread in the oven) and flatten with your palm or bottom of a glass until they are about 3/8" thick. Edges will crack.
- Bake until golden, 12 to 14 minutes. Let the cookies cool 2 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
- See note above about storing or freezing.
cookies, flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ancho chili powder, kosher salt, bacon, unsalted butter, bacon, peanut butter, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, vanilla, honey, rolling sugar, coarse sugar, salt
Taken from food52.com/recipes/25416-peanut-butter-and-bacon-cookies-aka-man-bait (may not work)