Bacon Cookie Sandwiches

Master chef Amanda Clarke wrote an article over at Serious Eats all about her experiments with bacon-oatmeal cookie sandwiches.

Amanda seems to be quite the chef – not just in the way she created someting new, unique and seemingly tasty, but also in the way that she so passionately went through the process of discovery. If you read her whole article you’ll see that she really fought to make the perfect new bacon treat.

Way to go, Amanda!

Below is her picture of the cookie sandwiches as well as the recipe that she posted on Serious Eats.

Bacon-Oatmeal Cookies – By Amanda Clarke
- makes 25-30 sandwiches, 4-5 dozen cookies -

If you plan on sandwiching the cookies together, I encourage you to experiment with different, subtly flavored fillings. At the restaurant, I use an Italian-meringue version (slightly lighter and less sweet but significantly more complicated and time-consuming to make) of this brown-butter frosting.

Ingredients
1 cup, plus 2 tablespoons bacon fat, room temperature* (224 grams)
1 1/2 cups sugar (300 grams)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 1/2 teaspoons molasses (30 grams)
4 1/2 teaspoons honey (30 grams)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (180 grams)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups quick oats** (240 grams)
1 1/2 cups bacon bits* (~85 grams)
1 cup raisins, chocolate chips or walnut pieces – optional

Procedure
1. Preheat oven to 325°F. With a hand held or stand mixer, cream fat with sugar until creamy and light. (N.B.:You will not be able to achieve the same level of fluffiness in this step with bacon fat as you would with a recipe using butter or shortening. Trying to do so will result in frustration and, possibly, a greasy, over-worked-e.g. melted-mess.)

2. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla, molasses and honey, and beat to incorporate.

3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt, and whisk to incorporate. Add this mixture to the butter mixture and beat to incorporate. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, and beat briefly to insure that mixture is homogeneous.

4. Add the oats, bacon bits and raisins, chocolate chips or walnuts, if using. Mix until well distributed.

5. Drop dough by the heaping tablespoonful onto parchment- or Silpat-lined baking trays, leaving 1 1/2 or 2 inches between cookies. Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating tray once during baking. Cool cookies completely before filling.

* It takes about a pound of bacon, give or take, to acquire the prescribed quantities of fat and bits. Cut the bacon into small pieces and cook over low heat, allowing plenty of time for the fat to render out before the pieces color too much. Pour bacon into a fine mesh sieve set over a heat-proof bowl. Once the fat has drained into the bowl, set aside and allow to cool to room temperature. Turn bacon bits out onto paper towels. Bits and fat can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week before use, just be sure to bring the fat to room temperature before making the cookie dough.

** You can use the same quantity of old-fashioned oats in this recipe, but I’ve found that the cookies have a little more structure, a slightly nicer texture and bake into more attractive-less lumpy and irregular-circles with the quick oats.

So there it is, Amanda’s Clarke’s own bacon-oatmeal cookie sandwich recipe. Let us know if you try it yourself!

– Mike

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