Maple Bacon bourbon bars

Adapted from the ohbiteit.com

The name alone caused me to salivate. I do have weakness for bacon. I saw this recipe on Pintrest a few days ago. I was immediately intrigued. Looking at the recipe though, (posted on ohbiteit.com) I changed a few things. Simple changes. The original recipe only had bourbon in the glaze. So for starters I added some bourbon to the syrup. I also added pecans on top, spiked with bourbon and candied. I added Salt to the dry mix, because it balances flavor, I replaced ½ cup of the maple syrup with sorghum, for depth of flavor and I flamed the honey whisky for the glaze.

Results-

So over all, I have to admit that I don't like this recipe as much as I thought I would, all tinkering accounted for. Despite having an entire pound of bacon in it, there wasn't much of a bacon presence. I feel as though the batter hides the bacon some how. I like the texture from the spiked candied pecan. I like the smoother taste in the glaze acquired by flaming the whisky but having made it twice in 24 hours I will probably not make them again for a while. I think the next time I do; I'll make the batter more neutral. Perhaps base it with honey and maple, so it allows the bacon to be tasted.  But i did like the hint of depth the 1/2cup of sorghum lent. Maybe they need to be just bacon bourbon bars…or just remove the crust all together and leave it with spiked candied pecans and bacon. Or maybe put the bacon on top with the pecans. See? many ideas and variations to play with. I will be visiting this recipe in again for sure. 

It is a pretty simple recipe as far as ingredient list goes. The technique unique. Essentially, the two cups of syrup are boiled down for about 10-12 minutes, let it cool a bit and dump everything else in. Then you chill it for an hour and then bake for about 20 minutes.

Photo by AJ Dome.

I have to be honest. I made a mistake… A rather big mistake… I forgot to add the egg and I didn’t notice it until it was time to take the bars out of the oven. Which caused the bars to not rise, as they should have, so I can't give a fair review. The lack of egg resulted the bars to turn out really very thin (as shown in the photo gallery) and chewy, making for a poor contrast between that and the bacon. The Pecans added a nice crunchy contrast and the glaze we nice as well. Also, the bacon was not a suitable size for the dessert. Additionally I neglected to refrigerate the batter before baking.

A slice from the first batch on the left and a slice from the second on the right.

Not wanting to be defeated by myself I made a second batch, right away. Implementing the neatly cut bacon, I cut it into lardon before cooking, where as last time I baked first and then chopped it up. But I had to stray further from the original recipe. Real maple syrup is a bit pricey and not wanting to use two more cups I replaced more of it with sorghum. I did remember the egg and I did remember to chill it before baking.

. . . . More results.

The texture was correct in this batch. But the flavor of the batter was significantly stronger. I still feel like the bacon could be more prominent and again my favorite part was pecans and the glaze.

Photo By AJ Dome.

My adjusted recipe:

Maple Bacon Bourbon Bars

1 1/2 cups real maple syrup

1/2 cup sorghum(or molasses or treacle)

1Tablespoon of bourbon

1 stick of butter

1 Egg

1 Tablespoon of Vanilla

1 lb of bacon, cut into small bit and cooked until crisp.

2 Cups of flour

1teaspoon of salt

1teaspoon of baking powder

Candied Pecans:

1 Cup toasted pecans- roughly chopped

2Tablespoons butter

1/2 Cup brown Sugar

1-2 Tablespoons Bourbon

sprinkle of salt

Glaze:

1Cup Powdered sugar

2-3 Tablespoons Honey Whiskey- Flambéed

Sprinkle of salt

dash of Vanilla

Prepare the bacon, drain and set aside.

Prepare a quarter sheet pan with parchment.

In a large, heavy sauce pan cook down the syrup, sorghum and bourbon for about 10 minutes. The goal is to thicken it slightly.

While that is reducing, measure the flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl and whisk together.

When the syrup has reduced for 10-12 minutes, pull off the heat and let cool until its warm but not hot. Then Add the stick of butter, allowing it to fully incorporate. Then add the Egg, fully incorporate. Then stir in the dry ingredients a little at a time, to avoid lumps. Add the vanilla. Add Bacon and pour into the prepared pan and chill for an hour in the fridge.

While that is chilling...

Glaze

Flame the honey whiskey for the glaze. Pour that into a mixing bowl, add the salt and powdered sugar and whisk together. Add the vanilla, whisk together. Adjust to the desire consistency with milk or water.... or more whiskey. Set aside.

Spiked Candied Pecans

Prepare a small sheet pan with parchment, set aside. In a medium skillet over medium- high heat, melt butter, add the brown sugar. Stir together and let is bubble for a minute or two. Add the pecan and stir them around to coat evenly. Allow this to cook for about 3-5 minutes. Since this is a small batch, it won't take long. Add in the Honey Whiskey and flambe. Once the flame is gone, pour the nuts onto the prepared sheet pan, spread them out a bit. let cool. When cooled completely, break into small pieces.

Bake the bars at 350º for 18-20 minutes. when they are done, allow cool for a few minutes then, drizzle on half of the glaze, sprinkle on the pecans, then drizzle the remander of the glaze.