So I’m bringing up a rather controversial subject today…to add bacon or not to dessert.
Well, it was definitely controversial at my house. The more I blog the more I want to try new things and be more adventurous about food. And bacon in dessert was something I’d been wanting to try. My husband was dead set against the idea of it. That is why I only used half of the bacon that this recipe called for, I needed to keep the peace among us.
After trying both versions, he still said that he liked the un-baconed one better. Me? I loved it with the bacon. It was such a nice, salty balance to the sweetness of the frosted bar. Our son? He couldn’t stop asking for ‘the bacon cake’ – he loved it too!
One thing I will say about adding the bacon, if you have to store these overnight, I would wait to add the bacon until the next day when you are serving them. The bacon softened up and wasn’t crispy after being stored in a covered container with these moist delicious bars.
The frosting is a whole ‘nother story…a m a z i n g! I’ve never made a caramel frosting before and now I’m certain that I will never make a pumpkin bar with ordinary cream cheese frosting again. It is definitely off the hook (yes, I’ve been watching The Sing Off – love that show).
Bacon lover or not, please try these bars – you will thank me! And yes, the plate pictured below is the same plate that was pictured in Monday’s post, it’s so lovely and fabulous that I can’t help but use it when I take pictures of pumpkin related things.
The bars:
8 oz. BACON, diced*
2 cups FLOUR
1 teaspoon BAKING SODA
1 teaspoon GROUND CINNAMON
1/2 teaspoon SALT
1 1/2 cups PUMPKIN PUREE
1/2 cup WHITE SUGAR
1/2 cup BROWN SUGAR, packed
1/2 cup BROWN SUGAR, packed
1 EGG
2 Tablespoons BUTTER, melted*
1 teaspoon VANILLA
1/4 cup CHOPPED, TOASTED PECANS (optional)
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9×13 pan. Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp; remove from pan and place on a paper towel lined plate. Set aside and reserve to 2 Tablespoons bacon drippings.*
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, sugars, egg, melted butter, bacon drippings and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture and pecans, if using.
Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Bake about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.
The frosting:
2 cups BROWN SUGAR, packed
1/3 cup WATER
Pinch of SALT
1/2 cup HEAVY CREAM
1 stick BUTTER, cubed
4 oz. CREAM CHEESE, cut into 1-inch cubes
Boil brown sugar, water and pinch of salt in a large saucepan over high heat, 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. Whisk in cream and butter pieces. (Mixture will be very bubbly, continue whisking.) Boil 2 minutes more.
Transfer caramel to the bowl of a stand mixer; whip on high speed until sides of bowl are cool to the touch and the caramel is thick, about 10 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add cream cheese, 1 cube at a time, until frosting is smooth.
Frost bars and sprinkle with bacon before serving.
*I only used 4 oz. of bacon. From that bacon I had only 1 1/2 Tablespoons of bacon drippings. So I added another 1/2 Tablespoon of melted butter. If you decide not to use the bacon, use 2 Tablespoons of melted butter to replace the bacon drippings that you would have had.
Recipe Source: Noble Pig
This recipe may to linked to these fabulous parties: SUNDAY Sharing Sundays – Everyday Sisters,Sweet Indulgences Sunday – A Well Seasoned Life MONDAY Melt In Your Mouth Monday – Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms, Recipe Sharing Mondays – Jam Hands, Made By You Monday – Skip To My Lou, Mingle Monday – Add A Pinch, Makin’ You Crave Monday – Mrs. Happy Homemaker, Monday Link Party – Polish the Stars TUESDAY Tasty Tuesday – Balancing Beauty and Bedlam, Tasty Tuesday – Nap Time Creations, Totally Tasty Tuesday – Mandy’s Recipe Box, Tuesday Time Out – Reasons to Skip the Housework, Tuesday Talent Show – Chef in Training, Crazy Sweet Tueasday – Crazy For Crust WEDNESDAY These Chicks Cooked – This Chick Cooks, Cast Party Wednesday – Lady Behind the Curtain, What I Whipped Up Wednesday – Sugar and Dots, Success U – The Stuff of Success, Idea Sharing Wednesday – Women Who Do It All THURSDAY Sweet Treats Thursday – Something Swanky, It’s a Keeper – Everyday Tastes, Things I’ve Done Thursday – Bear Rabbit Bear, Weekend Wander – While He Was Napping, Tastetastic Thursday – A Little Nosh, One Stop Thursday Party – Digital Scrapbooking Made Easy Full Plate Thursday – Miz Helen’s Country Cottage FRIDAY Sweet Tooth Friday – Alli-n-Son, I’m Lovin’ It – Tidy Mom, Fat Camp Friday – Mangoes and Chutney, Fusion Friday – Jane Deere Blog, Friday Favorites – Simply Sweet Home, Friday Flair – Whipperberry SATURDAY Seasonal Inspiration – Crumbs and Chaos, Strut Your Stuff Saturday – Six Sister’s Stuff, Show and Tell Saturdays – Be Different Act Normal, Newlyweds Blog Pumpkin Linkup, The Harvest Party at Life in the Motherhood
These look yummy with or without the bacon…but I would definitely want to try with a sprinkling of the bacon first….its always surprising if you have never had bacon on top of a sweet treat how great the flavor combo really is.
As much as it sounds good…the sweet and salty…I just can’t do it! The only way I eat bacon is on a BLT sandwich! I would have to go with the yummy sounding un-bacon cake:-)
I think the whole bacon controversy is so funny, it’s almost as if people get offended when you add it to desserts. I made a Candied Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookie, absolutely loved it!, but it definitely got mixed reviews.
These bars look and sound fabulous though, and that plate is beautiful! Love!
I have never used bacon in a dessert before either, but I am anxious to give it a try. These pumpkin bars look and sound amazing!! I also love the orange plate!
Sounds amazing! Salty, sweet, and pumpkin… what more could a girl need!
I say yes to the bacon. We had pumpkin pancakes this morning, and I had a bit of bacon in every bite. They just work perfectly together. Good job!
Thanks so much for linking up at A Little Nosh!
I love bacon in dessert! Salty and sweet, yum. These look so good, I’m drooling. Thanks for sharing on Crazy Sweet Tuesday!
Oh my gosh, I have to try these! The phrase “bacon drippings” caught my eye and I was sold!
I LOVE your recipe! It would be a PERFECT addition to my party. Would you come over to CAST PARTY WEDNESDAY tomorrow and share it with us?
Thanks,
I hope to see you there!
http://ladybehindthecurtain.com
Yum!! The frosting sounds like the best I will ever taste -I must try it!
ooo with bacon please!! Just found your blog via Newly Weds Blog… Love it!
Wow I am completely intrigued by the recipe!! I bet the bacon makes them awesome.
I just shared this on Facebook!
Just wanted to let you know that I featured both your recipe and your site yesterday. Have fun next month as a hostess! Thanks for participating in October as well!
These bars sound delicious, and the salty bacon sounds really good with the sweet cake!
Maria recently posted..Easy Puff Pastry Cinnamon Twists
The contrast between the sweet and salty was one of my favorite things about this dessert.