Well, it had to happen eventually. It’s unrealistic for all 100 recipes I make this year to be knockouts so I shouldn’t be disappointed that the thirteenth recipe I made was a bust. The truth is, I had such high expectations for this one: Paleo Bacon Brownies.
When my friend Mandy posted a picture of a batch of dark chocolate brownies, sprinkled with crisp bacon pieces, I just knew I wanted to sink my teeth into that sweet-savory dessert. When I got the recipe and saw that these were grain-free and were also fortified with coffee, I wasted no more time and made a date with my oven.
Like sea salt caramel before it, bacon has now taken over as the darling ingredient in popular cuisine. Just stop by any cupcake shop, modern bakery or dessert bar and you’ll see at least one dessert laden with the always popular cured meat. America’s obsession with sweet and salty in one bite must be responsible for this bacon dessert craze. It’s not limited to dessert, mind you. I’ve seen bacon beer, bacon vodka, bacon candy and for the purists who don’t care to muddle their bacon with other ingredients but just want more bacon, there’s the ever popular bacon weave.
I am not immune to the bacon craze. I was raised in the south and enjoyed bacon at the breakfast table with some regularity. My family, being from East Tennessee, taught me at a young age that the only way to enjoy canned green beans is to cook them down in a few tablespoons of bacon grease for hours until little to no nutritional value remained. I have dabbled in bacon-for-dessert myself. My grandmother has a killer recipe for something we lovingly call S.O.B. – Special Occasion Bacon, which consists of thick-sliced bacon dredged in equal parts brown sugar and freshly cracked pepper and baked in the oven until you are left with essentially bacon candy. A few years ago, I rang in the new year with some friends, a glass of Champaign and a loaf of homemade bacon monkey bread. What better way to start a new year?
So, this recipe was a little disappointing but perhaps it’s because I have high bacony expectations? I should also confess that my all time favorite dessert would be the humble homemade brownie. I have very strong feelings about brownies. My bacon and brownie bias likely was a difficult hurdle to overcome.
Despite this recipe not ranking as highly as I would have liked, I think lots of other people would probably really like this dessert. It does have a lot to offer. To start, the texture is aces. It’s really a very fudgy brownie which is exactly the kind of brownie I like best. It’s also grain-free/Paleo, only sweetened with maple syrup and is highly caffeinated for those of you who enjoy a little pick me up with your dessert. This recipe is from Everyday Paleo which is a great cookbook for people looking for quick Paleo recipes that the whole family can enjoy. Here’s the recipe I used:
8 ounces dark chocolate
1/2 cup reserved bacon fat
1/2 cup coconut oil or butter
6 eggs
4 tablespoons strong brewed coffee
4 tablespoons fine coffee grounds
1 cup Grade B maple syrup
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
6-7 pieces of baked bacon
So, if you want to give it a try, even given my less-than-stellar personal review, here’s how it’s done.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the chocolate, bacon fat and the oil or butter. Make sure to stir often to prevent burning. This can also be done over a double boiler. Once melted, set aside to cool.
Mix the eggs and maple syrup together until well blended. Next, you can mix in the cooled chocolate mixture.
Make sure you start out with a large bowl! I had to transfer the mixture to a larger bowl at this point. This is when it pays to really read the instructions properly before starting to cook. Whoops!
Next, you can sift in the cocoa powder slowly and whisk into wet ingredients. Once cocoa is well blended, you can mix in the brewed coffee and coffee grounds.
Pour batter into an oiled 13×9 pan. Chop up your bacon slices and sprinkle on top. Bake for about 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Remove from the oven, cool and slice up!
There you have it, Paleo Bacon Brownies. Maybe it’s harsh of me to say these aren’t delicious. They’re not my favorite but hey, they might just be your cup or tea… or piece of brownie for that matter. Truman Capote had great quote about failure that seems apropos:
“Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor.”
Hey, I have 87 more recipes to go and I can’t let this one get me down. When it comes to bacon, I’d just assume enjoy it fresh out of the oven, or wrapped around a meatloaf. And when it comes to brownies, there’s nothing that can top my grandma’s extra dark chocolate variety… except maybe this gluten-free recipe from Elana’s Pantry.
Coffee, chocolate and bacon – a culinary trifecta of vices. You may have let me down this time, but I will have my revenge.
100 First Tastes 
Very brave attempt hun, maybe try Grandma’s recipe and swap the water for coffee then sprinkle with a little bacon. Me personally, I prefer my bacon between two slices of bread but I have swapped out the water for coffee. It’s a good use of leftover coffee (not to mention an excellent reason to make something chocolate).
Good idea. My friend also suggested using a full cup of bacon fat and skipping out on the coconut oil for more bacon flavor. Nothing lost by trying something new, though! Glad I gave it a try. I think a lot of other people would probably like it, even if it’s not my fav.