Bacon Gingerbread Cookies
Did you know that November 21st is National Gingerbread Cookies Day?! It’s a pretty exciting day for cookie lovers. And we’re making it a pretty exciting day for bacon lovers, too! We added some maple bacon flavor to these crispy gingerbread cookies then decorated them with Maple Bacon Royal Icing to bring a little bacon cheer to your holiday season.
Hard gingerbread cookies were traditionally cut into shapes, often the gingerbread man shape we still see today, and then decorated with candies and icing. They were typically found at street fairs or carnivals and enjoyed by dunking them in port wine to moisten the cookies. Today the preferred dunking beverage of choice is a spiced latte or creamy hot cocoa, but we’re thinkin’ that port wine was probably the better choice!
Bacon Gingerbread Sponge Cakes
Ingredients
- For The Sponge Cakes:
- 6 large eggs, separated
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon dark molasses
- 1 teaspoon bourbon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup Hickory Smoked Bacon, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
For The Creamy Maple Frosting:
- 3/4 cup chilled whipping cream
- 1/4 cup chilled greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon Maple Syrup
- 3/4 cup Hickory Smoked Bacon, finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Place cupcake papers in 12 cupcakes slots.
- In a stand mixer, whisk yolks, 1/2 cup sugar, and brown sugar in large bowl until mixture falls in heavy ribbon, about 5 minutes. Add in melted butter, molasses and vanilla until incorporated then sift the flour, baking powder, spices and salt over yolk mixture. Fold in gently, then Fold in the bacon bits. Using clean dry beaters, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar in another large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and whisk until stiff, but not dry. Fold the egg white mixture into yolk mixture in 3 additions until well combined.
- Fill each cupcake paper 3/4 full with the sponge cake batter, about 1/4 cup each. If you have extra, you can fill more cupcake wrappers.
- Bake cake until tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 15 or 20 minutes. Let them cool for 5 minutes, then remove the cakes from the tray. Remember, these are sponge cakes so they will deflate a bit as they cool. That is normal.
- While the sponge cakes are cooling, beat together the whipping cream, greek yogurt, powdered sugar, brown sugar and maple syrup in a bowl until smooth. Fold in the bacon bits. Once the cakes are cool, pipe on the frosting how ever you\'d like. Enjoy or as or top each sponge cake with any extra bacon you may have!
From The World of Sweet, Sweet Bacon.