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Most of us probably find ourselves with a holiday gift giving list longer than our budget allows. There are always so many people that I want to acknowledge with a little something but the price ads up and someone, inevitably has to be cut. Still, I like for the mailman, the custodian who cleans my classroom and our next door neighbor to know that we are thinking of them this Holiday season.
Several years ago, I started making little food gifts for the people on my ever-growing list and wrapping them up in cute little tins or holiday themed dishes. Holiday cookie tins and dishes are often available just after the holidays at deep discounts. I usually pick up five or ten and set them back for the next year.
Cookie and candies make great holiday gifts. You can make a large quantity at a minimal cost and if you offer something unusual or unexpected, it’s exciting for the recipient. Chocolate chip cookies are great, but everyone does that. This year, why not try something new like my Bourbon Bacon Toffee Brittle.
This recipe was designed by combining ideas from three popular holiday treats: peanut brittle, Christmas “Crack”, and Toffee. There were things I loved about each of those recipes and things I didn’t so I kept the parts I loved and left out the others. Plus Bacon.
Petit Jean offers Hickory Smoked Bacon, Thick Hickory Smoked Bacon and Peppered Bacon. We are fans of all three of these in our house and all would be great in this recipe. I used the Hickory Smoked Bacon.
This recipe is quick and easy to put together and starts by dousing the bacon in bourbon and brown sugar! It doesn’t get much better than that!
Enjoy!
INGREDIENTS
10 Slices Petit Jean Hickory Smoked Bacon
2-3 Tablespoons Bourbon
2-3 Tablespoons brown sugar
40 Saltine Crackers (You could even substitute with Graham crackers or buttery cracker.)
1 Cup brown sugar
1 Cup butter
INSTRUCTIONS
1.) Preheat the oven to 350° F.
2.) Line a cookie sheet with foil and arrange 10 slices of bacon. Brush bacon with half of the bourbon and sprinkle with half of the brown sugar. Flip the bacon and brush bourbon and sprinkle brown sugar on the other side.
3.) Place the bacon in the oven for 12-16 minutes or until the bacon is golden brown. Watch carefully as the bacon may burn from the sugar and alcohol. Remove the bacon from the oven and cool on a paper towel lined plate. The bacon may not appear crispy at first but will crisp up as it cools. Once cooled, use kitchen scissors to cut the bacon into small, bitesized pieces.
4.) While bacon is cooling lay 40 saltine crackers onto a foil lined cookie sheet that was sprayed with cooking spray.
5.) In a small saucepan combine butter and brown sugar. Stir occasionally until it comes to a boil. Once it boils stir constantly for 2 minutes. Turn of the heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour the mixture over the crackers and use a heat resistant spatula to spread over the entire tray of crackers.
6.)Sprinkle the bourbon bacon over the entire tray and return the tray to the oven for about 8 minutes. The brown sugar and butter mixture should be bubbling all over.
7.) Remove the tray from the oven and allow to cool completely. Once cool, peel off the foil and cut the toffee brittle into piece. I just cut along the cracker seams.
8.) Store in airtight containers. It will keep for several days if you don't eat it all before then!
