Whiskey Maple Candied Bacon
Candied bacon is a sweet, salty, and savory treat that can either be enjoyed on its own or in baked goods!
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When I had the idea for my Whiskey Bacon Cookies, my initial thought was to glaze the bacon with maple syrup. Then I thought, why stop there?
After much trial and error (some errors being more edible than others) I landed on this method and recipe. This bacon is excellent in cookies, brownies, blondies, even banana bread! It’s also fantastic all on its own.
How To Make Candied Bacon
The recipe and process is simple enough with only four ingredients! All you need for this boozy deliciousness is bacon, maple syrup, brown sugar, and whiskey.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. I also add a layer of foil under the parchment paper to make cleanup easier, but it’s not necessary. Lay out your bacon on the parchment paper in a single layer so that the slices are not touching.
This recipe is for 6 slices but the baste will stretch for a few more, or is easily doubled (or tripled!) to make as much candied bacon as you want! When making them for a recipe I like to make one or two extra slices just in case one burns, and when it doesn’t I get rewarded with a treat!
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
To make the baste, mix the brown sugar, whiskey, and maple syrup in a small bowl. Stir until the brown sugar is fully incorporated into the whiskey and maple syrup.
Use a basting brush or a spoon to brush each slice of bacon with some of the baste. Put the bacon in your preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes.
Use hot pads to take your bacon out of the oven. Carefully flip each slice over and add more baste to the top of the bacon. Return the bacon to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
Remove the bacon again, flip and baste once more, and bake for another five minutes.
When your bacon begins to brown at the fat is rendered your bacon is done! On the last baking round keep a close eye on the bacon so it doesn’t burn, as there are many factors that can affect the cooking time.
Use tongs to transfer the Whiskey Maple Bacon to a cooling rack. This will allow the bacon glaze to harden up a bit.
Once the bacon has cooled it can be added to your favorite baked good recipe or enjoyed as a sweet and salty treat on it’s own.
How To Store Whiskey Maple Bacon
If you’re not going to be using the bacon right away, it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. When preparing the bacon for storage, use parchment paper or wax paper to separate each piece so they don’t stick together.
You can also freeze it if you’re not going to use the bacon within five days. Seal the separated slices of bacon in an airtight container and keep it in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Whiskey Maple Candied Bacon
Ingredients
- 6 Slices Bacon
- 4 Tablespoons Brown Sugar (Lightly packed)
- 2 Tablespoons Whiskey
- 2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Arrange the bacon on the parchment paper in a single layer so that none of the slices are touching.
- In a small bowl, make the baste by mixing the maple syrup, brown sugar, and whiskey until the brown sugar is fully incorporated.
- Use a basting brush or spoon to spread a little bit of the baste on each slice.
- Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
- Remove the bacon and carefully flip each slice over. Repeat the basting process and return to the oven.
- Bake for 10 more minutes.
- Once again take the bacon out, flip it, and cover it with the remaining baste.
- Return the bacon to the oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until the bacon in browned and the fat is rendered.
- Use tongs to transfer the bacon to a cooling rack and allow the glaze to harden a bit.
- The bacon can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, and the freezer 4 months.
Notes
- Keep a close eye on the last round of baking, ovens and varying thickness of bacon can affect the cooking time and could result in burnt bacon!
- When storing the bacon, separate each slice with parchment or wax paper so they don’t stick together.