Here’s my Christmas present to y’all… my very own recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies with BACON!

Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

2-1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 cup (2 sticks) Softened Butter (unsalted)
3/4 cup Granulated Sugar
3/4 cup packed Light Brown Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Eggs
2 cups (12 oz. pkg.) Dark Chocolate Chips
1 lb. Bacon (Maple cured bacon is really good in this. You won’t need all of it, unless you really, really like bacon!)

Preheat oven to 400˙. Arrange about 2/3 of the bacon strips on a baking sheet with a lip. Cut the remaining 1/3 of the bacon into 1″ squares, and place on the baking sheet. (You may need two baking sheets to do this.) Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes. They should be almost crispy. Drain the rendered bacon fat into a container & store in the freezer for another use.

Lower oven to 375˙. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl. Cream the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla together with a mixer until creamy. A stand mixer works best for this, if you have one. Add eggs and beat well. Gradually add the flour mixture, beating well. Crumble about 3-4 slices (or more) of the bacon strips, and add them to the mix, stirring well. Add the chocolate chips and mix well.

Cover the mixture with plastic wrap & refrigerate for 15-30 minutes. Scoop onto baking sheets, making the cookies as large or small as you like. You can use your hands and roll the dough into balls, flattening them. Or you can just scoop by spoonfuls onto the baking sheet.

On top of each flattened ball of dough, press one square of the cooked bacon. Bake 8-10 minutes for smaller cookies, or up to 15 or so for larger cookies. Cookies are done when lightly browned.

Cool slightly on baking sheet; remove to wire rack to cool completely. Makes 5 doz. little cookies, or about 2-1/2 doz. large cookies.

Love ya, hon!