Mari’s New York: The Bacon Brownie

Recently while I was at the Limelight Marketplace in downtown NYC, I realized that if you like bacon desserts, Limelight may be your new hangout.

I was enjoying my French Toast Cupcake with Bacon from CupcakeStop when a lady at the table next to me said, “Did you see the bacon brownie?” I turned instantly and squeaked excitedly “No, WHERE?!” She looked at me, eyebrows raised and obviously a bit confused by my outburst. You see, she was talking to her husband, not to me, a complete stranger stiting next to her who is bonkers for bacon.

I quickly explained, “I’m sorry! I’m eating a really good bacon cupcake and I write for Bacon Today so when you mentioned bacon, I lost my mind.” She laughed with me (not at me, I’m sure) and then gave me the scoop on where to find the bacon brownie.

She directed me to a dessert counter in the Limelight Marketplace’s Sweet Room called Mari’s New York. Mari’s specializes in tiny “artisanal” brownies, made from scratch, that you can eat in two bites. I thanked my new friend and rushed over to Mari’s counter and blurted out, “I hear you have bacon brownies!” The clerk said, “You heard right,” and handed me a bacon brownie. Squeeee(al)!

I in turn handed her $3 (which breaks down to $1.50 a bite) and took my treasure home. I ate it in 4 bites (I had to make it last) and realized that I would have paid more than $3 for it. DELICIOUS barely covers how this brownie tasted.

The choclate is delightfully rich and the bacon tastes fresh off the frying pan. The moistness of the brownie is a great contrast to the chewyness of the bacon. Sweet and salty, this brownie is terribly satisfying.

If you’ve been reading my articles, you know this is the point where I say, “Obviously I needed to know nore about this porky dish of delish!” So here is my interview with Mari’s New York:

ME: The Bacon Brownie is wonderful! Please explain what the ingredients are that make it so delicious.

MARI’S NY: The bacon brownie has homemade Niman Ranch bacon jam swirled in the batter and a sprinkling of candied bacon on top.

ME: JAM! I never would have guessed that in a million years. How did you come up with the bacon brownie?

MARI’S NY: I started with pureed cooked bacon mixed in but that wasn’t enough to sate my bacon needs – it needed actual pieces of bacon that you’d discover as you chewed. The candied bits on top gild the bacon lily, so to speak.

ME: I’ll second that statement. How often is this bacon brownie for sale at your shop in Limelight? Are they only available here?

MARI’S NY: We try and have enough for sale every day but we have been known to sell out. They are also offered at GRAB Specialty Foods in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

ME: What made you think, “I need to make a brownie with bacon in it”? Are you a bacon enthusiast?

MARI’S NY: I Love Bacon. Who doesn’t?

ME: For real. Who indeed?

MARI’S NY: Bacon goes with just about everything else, so I thought why not brownies? Ever since perfecting my bacon jam, I’ve been adding it to anything and everything at home.

ME: You are my kind of people. So my appetite needs to know if you have any brownies in the future that might contain bacon?

MARI’S NY: Maybe. One thing’s for sure, there will be other bacon offerings at Mari’s New York.

ME: YAY!

– Jennifer Eolin

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