Chocolate Covered Bacon Twists
The following recipe and photography is courtesy of Graham R. and his dog, Carl. For more of their delicious food ventures, visit them on Instagram @cookingwithcarrrl.
I hope your sweet tooth is ready, because I have a treat for you! Another day, another viral food trend to attend too. This time, I tried my hand at making twisted bacon. This hack will have you twisting bacon into straws. I know it sounds crazy, but it creates the perfect balance of crispy tenderness. This is my go-to method of cooking bacon and a must try for all my bacon connoisseurs out there!
Once I got my paws on this recipe, I knew I had to put my own spin on it. One of my favorite candy bars comes from a small company, and its loaded with bacon, salted caramel and pretzel pieces. These bacon twists resemble pretzel sticks, so why not dunk them in delicious, semi-sweet chocolate, then drizzle them with a delectable salted caramel sauce to create the perfect blend of sweet and salty flavors? Skip the cherry and throw one of these on your next ice cream sundae for pure munchie bliss!
Per usual, this recipe features a handful of my favorite Heinen’s brand goods! A must-have for this recipe is Heinen’s CARE Certified thick cut bacon. Other brands say they are sliced thick, but they always let me down! That is not the case with Heinen’s bacon, and each slice has a near perfect meat-to-fat ratio. You can taste the quality in each bite. After you secure the bacon, head over to the baking aisle and grab a bag of Heinen’s semi-sweet chocolate chips. These are great for all your baking needs and make for a great pick-me-up if you ever need a quick chocolate snack.
Chocolate Covered Bacon Twists
Servings: 24 Bacon Twists
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Covered Bacon
- 2 lbs. Heinen’s thick cut CARE Certified bacon
- 8 oz. Heinen’s semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 Tbsp. coconut oil
For the Salted Caramel
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 6 Tbsp. salted butter
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 tsp. flaky sea salt, Maldon is recommend*
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
- Remove the bacon from the packaging and prepare to twist! Hold one end of the bacon and twist the other end with your opposite hand. Place each twist on parchment-lined baking sheet. Avoid using thin bacon as it will not hold its shape.
- Bake for 35 minutes, then check on in the bacon twists. If they need more time, cook in 5-minute intervals until done. When done, place the twists on a cooling rack and pat dry with a paper towel. Allow the bacon to cool, then place in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Warm a saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar and whisk continuously until it starts to clump. After about 8 minutes, the sugar will start to melt, keep whisking! Whisk until the sugar becomes amber in color, being careful not to burn it.
- Add the butter and whisk until combined. Let this mixture cook for 1 minute, being careful to not let it burn.
- Slowly whisk in the heavy cream. It will start to bubble up and that’s normal. Whisk until all of the cream is mixed in, then let it boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat, add the salt and mix. Keep refrigerated for up to 3 weeks and warm before serving.
- Melt the chocolate using a double boiler, microwave or a glass/metal bowl placed in a pot that is filled 1/4 of the way with water. Regardless of the method, simply be sure not to burn the chocolate. Mix the chocolate and coconut oil until melted, if you like melted chocolate on the thicker side, omit the coconut oil.
- Remove the bacon from the fridge and dip 1/3 of each twist into the chocolate, making sure it’s coated evenly. Place back on the cooling rack and allow the chocolate to harden. Once the chocolate has hardened, drizzle the salted caramel over the bacon and sprinkle with sea salt.
- Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. These can be used as a Bloody Mary garnish, enjoyed with ice cream or eaten as is.
*If using table salt or kosher salt, only use 1 tsp.
