secret recipe club: pig out cookies

for this month's secret recipe club, i didn't follow my normal process when choosing a recipe on lisa's blog, cook lisa cook. instead, i clicked around somewhat haphazardly, reading through her list of recipe tags and clicking on the ones that sounded good. i didn't make it very far down the list, as cookies sucked me in! as soon as i saw these "piggy out cookies" i knew i was going to make them as soon as i saw bacon. i didn't read the rest of the ingredients list until i was making my grocery list later in the week!

these cookies are everything they promise to be: smooth creamy peanut butter, sweet milk chocolate, and salty bacon all in one bite. i dare you to eat just one. or two. while lisa mentioned the flavor of the cookies were better the second day, after spending a night in the refrigerator, i totally disagree. there's nothing like warm cookies out of the oven, and these are no different. but it's nothing that a few seconds in the microwave can't fix. we nuked ours about 15 seconds, just long enough to take the chill off and start to melt the chocolate. delicious!

for more information on the secret recipe club, including the list of participating bloggers, featured recipes from members, and instructions on how to join, visit the secret recipe club website!
 
check out my previous secret recipe club posts: pasta with blistered tomatoes & arugula and iced grapefruit cookies, mushroom barley soup, scalloped ham and potato bake & andes mint cake, chicken souvlaki with tzatziki, asian pork chops, lemon lime meltaways, blueberry peach crisp, minted lemon ice, white chocolate macadamia nut blondies, raspberry cream filled eclairs, jam swirled cheesecake, whole wheat grapefruit cake, chewy no bake granola bars & carrot cinnamon waffles, cannoli, gingerbread muffins, double chocolate peanut butter chip oatmeal cookies, butterscotch peach cake, whole wheat honey pancakes, minted pineapple lime agua fresca, breakfast tacos, simple almond sandwich cookies, & roasted banana rum cake.

pig out cookies
adapted from cook lisa cook
1 hour, makes 2 dozen

i always use thick cut bacon - for breakfast and baking - and cooked six slices for these cookies. i diced the bacon when it was raw, making it easier for me to cook six slices worth in one pan without overcrowding and making a huge grease mess. the bacon can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator.

about 1/3 of a pound bacon, cooked and diced/crumbled
2 tablespoons reserved bacon fat drippings, cooled
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup milk chocolate chips
sea salt for topping (optional)

1. preheat your oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. in a large bowl, beat the bacon fat, butter, and peanut butter until smooth. add the sugars and beat until light and creamy, about three minutes. add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
3. with the mixer on low, add about half of the flour, then the baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and end with the rest of the flour. mix until combined.
4. fold in the chocolate and bacon by hand with a spoon.
5. portion about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough onto a cookie sheet (i used my oxo medium cookie scoop), at least an inch apart. the cookies don't spread too much, so they can be pretty close together. lightly flatten the cookies with your fingers. top with a little sea salt, if you like.
6. bake for 10-12 minutes, or until light brown. let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. store in the refrigerator.