Candied Bacon Brownies

Father’s Day is right around the corner, so I thought I’d tell you all a little story about my dad. My dad hated getting presents. HATED it. I was allowed to get him a calendar for Christmas and a bottle of cologne on his birthday. That’s it. So on Father’s Day I had to get creative, and I learned that edible gifts fell outside of the gift giving rules. And thus a tradition of treat/gifts was born. One of his favorites: brownies. But not just any brownie, a frosted brownie. In today’s case, it’s a candied bacon brownie with whipped ganache frosting.

Brownies are kind of a universally loved treat. I’m not even a huge chocolate lover, but I’ll take a brownie every time. They’re easy and portable, great for a crowd. They’re a step up from a cookie, but not as formal as a cake. Plus they are very simple to dress up. To make something a little more special than a plain chocolate brownie. Something worthy of gifting. Since it’s Father’s Day, I really wanted to make these “man food.” And the best way to make a dish more *grunt* manly *grunt* is to add…bacon! The salty/smokiness of the bacon really plays well with the chocolate. For extra sweetness I use candied bacon, which you could eat all by it’s lonesome and it would be real delicious. But add it to a chocolatey treat and POW – mega flavor bomb.

There’s one more secret ingredient in this recipe (which is actually true for any chocolate recipe) that I’m gonna key you into: coffee. Any time I make a chocolate dish I add just a little bit of coffee or espresso. I promise you that the end product will not taste like coffee. Not even a little. But that small amount bumps up the natural flavors of all the chocolate, taking it from something ordinary to something amazing. It’s that little something that will make the taster say “hmmm…”

A great dad deserves a tasty treat. They work hard. They take care of their families. They come to your dance recital and give you a yellow rose so you feel like the most special girl in the world. Give your dad a batch of these brownies and show him how much he means to you.

Candied Bacon Brownies Recipe Download

Candied Bacon, chopped (recipe below)

1 C heavy cream

3 C semisweet chocolate chips

¼ C powdered sugar

1 ½ sticks butter

1 C granulated sugar

½ C light brown sugar

3 whole eggs + 2 egg yolk

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp espresso powder + 2 tsp water

Or 2 tsp brewed coffee

1 C Flour

½ C cocoa powder

¼ tsp salt

For Ganache

Heat cream in saucepan on medium heat until just bubbling. Pour hot cream over 1 ½ C chocolate chips and let sit for 5 minutes, then whisk until combined. Allow ganache to cool completely.
Once cooled, whip ganache and powdered sugar with a stand or hand mixer until light and fluffy. Set aside

For Brownies

Preheat oven to 350°. Line bottom of 9×13 inch pan with parchment and grease whole pan with cooking spray
In large microwave safe bowl combine 1 ½ cups chocolate chips, butter, and white and brown sugar. Microwave at 30 second intervals, stiring between each, until chocolate is melted. Whisk to combine and allow to cool slightly.
Once chocolate mixture is cooled, whisk in eggs, yolks, espresso + water or coffee, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, and salt until combined. Fold dry ingredients and ¾ chopped bacon into chocolate mixture . Pour into lined/greased baking pan and bake 35-40 minutes until brownies are set but still slightly soft. Cool completely.
Once brownies are cooled, frost with whipped ganache and top with remaining chopped bacon.

Candied Bacon

Preheat oven to 325°. Toss 8 slices of bacon with ¼ C light brown sugar. Place bacon slices on a parchment lined baking sheet and sprinkle with any leftover sugar. Bake for 20-30 minutes until brown and slightly crisp. Bacon will continue to crisp as it cools