Caramel bacon brownies are for breakfast, because brownies with bacon in them should always be eaten for breakfast!
Today, after giving my boyfriend a full 24 hours to claim the last lonely brownie, I finished it - for breakfast. Then I got told brownies are not for breakfast.
On that I call BS. Who really eats a completely balanced breakfast? What breakfast isn't a sugar loaded sweet tooth festival? Unless you're an eggs on toast person, most breakfasts have sugar, and a lot of it. Pancakes, waffles, crepes, fruits, and cereals are all sugary goodness. I am not a breakfast person to begin with - heck, I don't really even like eating before noon.
But what my health conscience self usually grabs in the AM is either a steak, or in today's case, caramel bacon brownies.
Besides, these tasty treats have bacon in them, so that counts for something, right?
Caramel Bacon Brownies
discovered on Steph's Bite by Bite, adapted from The Domestic Front
Ingredients:
For the Bacon Caramel:
- 2 slices of bacon
- ½ cup of heavy cream
- 1 cup of sugar
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter
For the Brownies:
- 8 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut in to pieces
- 6 oz semisweet chocolate chips
- ¼ c unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 slices of cooked bacon, chopped in to pieces
- Bacon Caramel Sauce
Preparation:
For the Bacon Caramel Sauce: In a small saucepan, fry two slices of bacon until crisp. Remove bacon, set aside, reserving bacon grease in the pan. Add cream to hot pan and let cool. When bacon is cool, crumble or chop finely.
In a larger pan, heat the sugar over high heat until the mixture is liquid and a deep amber color. Add the butter and the cooled bacon cream all at once, and stir until the butter is melted. Add the chopped bacon and let the mixture cool thoroughly.
For the Brownies: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Line an 8 inch square pan with two sheets of aluminum foil that covers the bottom and sides of the pan. Grease the foil with butter or a little Baker’s Joy.
In a large microwaveable bowl, melt the butter and the chocolate chips together in the microwave (start with 30 seconds, and stir thoroughly, then microwave for 10 seconds at a time, stirring between each bout of nuking, until the chocolate is melted and incorporated into the butter). Add the cocoa and whisk until smooth, then add in the eggs, one at a time, and the sugar, vanilla and finally the flour. Stir only until combined.
Scrape half of the caramel bacon brownies batter into the prepared pan. Then spread a third of the bacon caramel in an even layer over the brownie batter. Spread the remaining brownie batter over the top, then drop spoonfuls of the remaining caramel sauce over the top of the brownies, using a knife swirl the top layer of caramel in to the brownie batter.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes (wanting them to be more on the underdone side so that the gooeyness remains). Remove from the oven and cool completely. The caramel will be pretty gooey still, so you might want to wait to cut these until just prior to serving, and/or store in the refrigerator.
This caramel bacon brownies recipe is from an awesome friend I've made via blogging, who just completed a marathon! Steph is blogging, wedding planning, working, and running marathons? Way to make me feel like a serious slacker. Go check out her site, all of her tasty goodies, and congratulate her on her huge 26.2 mile achievement!
Karen says
I'm with you...I'd eat these for breakfast, lunch or dinner! These look amazing...so rich and chocolaty. Add the bacon caramel and I'm in heaven. Gorgeous!
The Harried Cook says
I made and posted about Bacon brownies a couple of weeks ago. I ate them for breakfast too. Makes perfect sense to me too... These brownies look fabulous!
Dionne Baldwin says
I love the idea but then again I eat pizza for breakfast heeheehee. I just love these photographs!
Sandra's Easy Cooking says
Ohh those are sinful! I love how your brownies look..fantastic photos!
Belinda @zomppa says
I like this breakfast!
Lauren at Keep It Sweet says
I am on your side, brownies are definitely for breakfast! These look absolutely incredible!
Eliot says
Seriously? They do say that bacon makes everything better! Great photos.
Parsley Sage says
Breakfast of champions in my book. Gotta love the bacon-chocolate combo 🙂 Buzzed!
Adora's Box says
This is the best brownie ever! I thought brownie was good enough. Bacon caramel just makes it so twisted and wicked and I can't imagine how great that is so I must make it. I like it super gooey.
Hester Casey - Alchemy says
I'm intrigued by the bacon/chocolate combo - these I am going to have to try - though will probably wait for morning coffee as it would be just totally decadent to have these for breakfast 🙂
Vicki @ Wilde in the Kitchen says
I totally agree, a brownie is just as healthy as a donut! Brownies for breakfast! I'm in.
Claire says
These brownies look absolutely incredible. And bacon? and caramel? Omg. Death. I want them!
Isabelle says
Brownies for breakfast? Hells yeah.
I usually make mine with instant espresso powder, which makes them the next best thing to a double-shot latte.... right? 😉 I have to admit that your bacon version sounds even better, though, especially since if your photos are anything to go by, they're super-gooey just the way I like them.
Chad @ thebreakupnote says
A bacon brownie - my eyes have now seen greatness.
Cassie @ Bake Your Day says
Sounds so unique, Kita! I'm not a fan of bacon (I know, crazy). These do sound delicious though!
Liz says
Too funny...I can rationalize anything, so these are definitely a breakfast food 🙂
Mary at n00bcakes says
Nom! I love me some bacon bits in a sweet dessert (or breakfast, as the case may be). Big thumbs up on caramel + chocolate + bacon; sounds delicious!
Katrina @ In Katrina's Kitchen says
I haven't gotten on the bacon is sweets train yet. What's wrong with me?
Kate@Diethood.com says
WOW WOW WOW! I am speechles! How did you not eat the entire pan? Or did you!? 🙂
The Chocolate Priestess says
Ah you layered a bacon caramel sauce, I see, how interesting but I still have not ventured into the bacon chocolate variety yet.
Silviu says
Those brownies look nasty. But I guess they must taste better than the look!
Jazz Rules says
To quote my 3 year old nephew after I asked him what he wanted for breakfast... "bacon. Bacon. BACON!!"
Felice says
Technically these have bacon and eggs in them and are therefore breakfast food. End of story. You win 🙂
briarrose says
Brownies for breakfast sounds like the start of a darn good day to me. 😉
These look so very decadent. Bacon and caramel....I'm pretty sure I would demolish these.
Jen says
These sound positively decadent. My dad used to always give us the last brownie or piece of pie for breakfast when we were growing up. It's something I still occasionally do now and my husband always gets mad at me for it. Silly because I guarantee it's no worse than a muffin or the syrup drenched french toast which I love for breakfast.
This is 2 thumbs up breakfast in my book!
Erin @ Dinners, Dishes and Desserts says
Oh these sound interesting! And if I can mix in some breakfast food and eat them at 7 am, all the more reason to try them!
Roxana GreenGirl says
I used to skip breakfast and have some bites here and there during the morning, but just like you said, unless you have eggs, everything else is sweet in the morning.
the brownies look great, amazing photo as usual
Thanks for sharing Kita
RavieNomNoms says
Those look SO dangerously good!!
Becky says
I made these today... so delicious. The only thing that could make these better is more bacon!
Nelena says
I made these last night. Mmmm, are they yummy. RICH! I have to have a whole glass of milk to finish one 🙂
K Hayes says
I am trying this for a friend's birthday this weekend. I am so excited. I do have one quick question - what do you do with the 2 slices of cooked bacon in the brownie portion of the recipe? I see where you use the two slices in the caramel sauce, but there are also 2 slices mentioned in the ingredients list for the brownies. Do you simply stir the chopped bacon into the batter at the end after the flour?
Kita says
Yes! I am sorry about that. Fold the chopped 2 slices into the batter before baking.