Fact: the real way to obtain your sweetheart’s love is through their stomach…with bacon! And this Maple Bacon Shortbread is a sure fire way to please.

A few weeks ago I attended a most fabulous themed pot-luck party: bacon! Everyone had to bring a dish made with bacon. We had bacon guacamole, a bacon cheddar apple pie, scotch eggs, bacon chocolate cupcakes. That was like a third of the menu. I brought a Maple Bacon Shortbread as one of two contributions.

Looking at my cookie cutter shapes I decided to go for a heart shaped one. And as soon as the cookies came out of the oven I knew this recipe was perfect for Saint-Valentine’s Day.

Our better half may not like fancy and dainty recipes. But shortbread loaded with bacon is going to be a winner. It is a super quick recipe to make and you will probably have everything already at home. Did you forget to buy a box of chocolates? Head to the kitchen now and get these out in about 30 minutes. Guys, this recipe is simple enough to make with little skill. Biggest tip: handle the dough as little as possible or the cookie gets tough.

baked bacon

My other tip for everyone: bake your bacon! I am really bad at crisping up bacon uniformly in a pan. It is undercooked or burnt.  For pretty strips I use this no fail method: Pre-heat oven at 400F, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, bake bacon for about 15 to 20 minutes, cool while draining on a rack with paper towel underneath.

Maple Bacon Shortbread

How good is this recipe? Simply amazing. I rarely make the same recipe twice but I made this one a second time the day after the pot-luck as I was craving this shortbread so bad. I found this wonderful recipe on Closet Cooking. It is really hard to categorize as savory or sweet. It is both, not a necessarily a dessert, but it can be. My 2nd batch I used half the bacon and the result was much sweeter.

Maple Bacon Shortbread for your Sweetheart

Ingredients
  

  • 4 strips bacon cooked and crumbled
  • 1/2 cup 1 stick butter, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1 1/4 cup flour
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions
 

  • Fry the bacon until crisp and on paper towels. Chop up into small pieces and set aside.
  • In a medium bowl beat the butter and maple syrup until smooth. Add the flour, cornstarch, salt and bacon.
  • Spoon the dough or cut with a cookie cutter. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350F for 10-12 minutes, or until just lightly golden brown.

Notes

Store in the fridge for up to a week.
For a sweeter cookie use half the bacon.

In case you are curious about my 2nd contribution to the bacon put luck, I made a fusion Bacon Paella Arancini. I used leftover paella, added some crisp bacon and rolled small balls.  Roll the balls in flour, a beaten egg and then bread crumbs. Bake in the oven for 20 min at 350F. A last minute idea which was a big hit with the crowd. Great way to use up lots of rice.

Bacon paella Arancini