10 Delicious Ways to Use Bacon

Reader s Digest Magazine

Not just for breakfast or the perfect BLT, bacon is a diverse ingredient that can easily be used for sweet and savory treats too! From ice cream to brunch cocktails, the possibilities are endless. Here are 10 unexpected ways to use bacon.

1. Bacon Ice Cream Sundae
Add a few crunchy bits of cooked bacon to a scoop of your favorite ice cream and top with a drizzle of dark chocolate and sliced banana. The salty flavor of the bacon will brighten the perfectly sweet ice cream flavors.

2. Bacon Bloody Mary
A Milwaukee hometown favorite, The Comet Café serves up its famous Comet Bloody Mary garnished with bacon. Splashes of vodka and Guinness give this drink unparallelled flavor. While you're brunching, be sure to check out Comet's bacon pancakes, too! Not traveling to Milwaukee anytime soon? Take your favorite Bloody or Virgin Mary cocktail recipe and add in a few strips of crispy bacon.

3. Bacon Hot Dogs
A Los Angeles favorite, the bacon wrapped hotdog is believed to have originated in Mexico. There are quite a few variations on the delicacy, but the most popular consists of grilled bacon twisted around a hot dog topped with grilled onions, diced tomatoes, ketchup, mustard, mayo, and a whole grilled green poblano chile. This is a perfect twist on traditional grilled hotdogs - try it at your next cookout!

4. Bacon Cupcakes
Butch Bakery in New York City is famous for its bacon-infused cupcake, the Driller. Starting with a maple cake recipe the folks at Butch Bakery top the cupcake with crumbled bacon and milk-chocolate ganache. Try it at home with a spice cupcake recipe, crumbled bacon, walnuts, and milk-chocolate frosting.

5. Bacon Apricot Bites
Wrap raw bacon around fresh apricots with a toothpick and place on the grill until the bacon is super crispy. Pass these around at your next gathering for a quick and delicious appetizer.

6. Bacon S'mores
While toasting marshmallows near the campfire, fry up some bacon on a small cast iron pan. Add the cooked bacon to the marshmallow, chocolate and/or caramel, and graham cracker s'more for a surprisingly delicious fireside treat.

7. Bacon Peanut Brittle
Recently served at New York City's Upper West Side Shake Shack location, Bacon Peanut Brittle is a delicious mix of sweet, savory, and crunchy. Invented by The Redhead, this concoction contains maple syrup, thyme, and cayenne pepper among a few secret ingredients. Try this at home using your own spices and, of course, your favorite bacon.

8. Bacon Biscotti
Chicago's Nonna Santi's Biscotti serves up a sweet savory, bacon biscotti treat. Starting with the perfect biscotti recipe, then topped with bacon and glazed with maple syrup, it's truly extraordinary. Serve at brunch or over afternoon coffee for an awesome bacon alternative.

9. Bacon Cheesecake
Journalist Linda Ellerbee adapted this recipe from one given to her by the chef at the George Hotel in London. Ellerbee's includes the refined flavor of stilton cheese. Cheesecake standards like a graham cracker crust and sweet cream cheese are given new life with the infusion of bacon and stilton. Try the recipe here or make your own version by mixing crisp bacon and walnuts into your favorite cheesecake recipe.

10. Bacon Donut
San Franscico's Dynamo Donut serves up Bacon Maple Apple donuts fresh each morning. Garnering rave reviews, this sweet and salty treat is a delicious and indulgent accompaniment to a morning cup of coffee. Try it at home by starting with a simple donut recipe, mix in fresh chopped apple, fry and top off with crumbled bacon and maple syrup ganache or frosting.

Plus: Download the Baconnection App for all your bacon needs!

Souces: TasteofHome.com, RachaelRayMag.com, LAWeekly.com, BaconFestChicago.com, Saveur.com

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