Journey, Feast, and Live

Originally published in July 2012 — updated with new photos.

Several years ago I shared a recipe for gooey bacon brownies.  I know the thought of bacon in something that is sweet is still odd to a lot of you.  It was that way to me too, but I thought why not.  The funny thing is that when I made these, then had friends try them, let me tell you something.  To this day, people who have either heard about them or tried them, the first question is, “Do you have any of those bacon brownies?”

There was a time when I made these things a lot.  I really enjoyed trying out different ways of layering them, presenting them.  Not to mention the fact of taking them to different parties is always fun for me to do.

When I put this up this recipe in July of 2012, it was inspired thanks to an ebook called 21 Bacon Desserts Recipes That You’ll Wish You Would Have.  Going back and looking to see if the author did anything or just to see what was happing with the book, looks like it’s nowhere to be found.  It’s unfortunate, the book has some very interesting, with a lot of very unique recipes.

Now for the recipe itself, the components are straightforward.  If you have made any brownies or baked goods before, it’s not mind-blowing at all.  You start by making a bacon caramel, which I have to say.  If you wanted, you could just do the bacon caramel sauce, and not make the brownies.  Another good option is that you can double up on the ingredients for the bacon caramel, have some for the brownies, then the rest for later.  Now, one thing that you have to keep in mind while making these.  Don’t overcook the brownies!  A problem that a lot of us do constantly is overcooking our baked goods.  We overcook brownies, cookies, cakes.  Remember this, actually, do me a favor, write it down, put it in your phone, or wherever.  Just because you took it out of the oven, doesn’t mean it’s going to stop cooking instantly.

For these lovely morsels, they are supposed to be undercooked.  Don’t put a toothpick or something in to see if they are cooked or ready.  I like the shake test of the pan.  Just tap the pan a little bit, a little movement means that you are good to go.  In any case, you are going to let them cool, then pop them in the refrigerator for an hour or so.  This allows for nice slices.  Don’t worry though, they will still be gooey and full of tasty caramel.

If you are wondering why I’m posting this recipe again after 5 plus years, a few reasons.  You learn how to do a few things better, so why not pass that learning along.  I also was able to take some pictures that look so much better, which really show how awesome and tasty these brownies really are.

I hope everyone makes these and enjoys every single bite of them.  They are truly a very tasty sweet to have.  Enjoy the brownies!

Gooey Bacon Brownies with Caramel Sauce

Fudgy, deliberately underbaked brownies layered with a homemade bacon caramel sauce. Sweet, salty, and gooey in every bite.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Chilling Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 2 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

Servings: 12 brownies

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

Bacon Caramel Sauce

• 3 slices bacon thick cut is best
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup sugar
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter

Brownies

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into pieces
• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips or chocolate bar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar the kind mixed with molasses, not raw sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons vanilla bourbon optional
• 1 cup all-purpose flour or 1 cup cake flour, or 1/2 cup cake flour mixed with whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 slices cooked bacon chopped

Method

 

Bacon Caramel Sauce

1. In a dry skillet, fry bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and add cream to the hot pan and let cool. When the bacon is cool, crumble or chop finely.
2. In a larger pan, heat the sugar over high heat until the mixture is liquid, keeping a close eye on the caramel — it can go quickly and burn, which means starting over. Mix in the butter and the cooled bacon cream. Stir until the butter is melted, then add the chopped bacon. Remove the pan from heat and let the mixture cool thoroughly.

Brownies

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8-inch (20-cm) square pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper covering the bottom and sides. If using foil, grease it with butter; if using parchment, butter the pan and lay the paper in.
2. Melt the butter and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring after each. Add the cocoa and mix until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the sugars, vanilla, bourbon vanilla (if using), flour, and baking powder. Stir until combined.
3. Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Spread a third of the bacon caramel over it in an even layer — if the caramel is stiff, reheat slightly for easier spreading. Spread the rest of the brownie batter over the top and finish with the remaining caramel sauce.
4. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. The brownies will rise nicely and bubble. Test with a toothpick in an area with no caramel — slightly clean means done — or give the pan a gentle shake; a little movement means they are ready. They keep cooking after leaving the oven, so do not overbake. Cool, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour before cutting into squares.

Notes

Depending on your bacon type, you may need to add some oil to the pan to help cook the bacon. American bacon has a lot of fat, so you will not need to do this at all. The bacon caramel sauce is great on its own — consider doubling it and saving half for later.