Bacon Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies

A truly delicious spin on a classic chocolate chip cookie, my Bacon Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies are such a flavor-packed joy ride for the adventuresome home baker. A hint of salty, smokehouse fire combined with the subtle warmth of allspice (my favorite spice) makes for one memorable chocolate chip cookie, and a fun break from the ordinary.

l’ll fully break down these days chocolate chip cookies for you in today’s post, but as always, if you’re just here for the recipe itself, feel free to use the link above to skip right on ahead. Either way, we hope you enjoy these!

Making Chocolate Chip Cookies with Bacon Fat

This recipe is really such a revelation. I was inspired by the one and only Stella Parks, pastry chef extraordinaire and author of one of my favorite baking books, Bravetart (I have a signed copy! Woo!). In this book, she suggests a bacon-filled version of her classic snickerdoodle cookie.

Oh. Well color me intrigued, I thought as I read that. It’s been years since I first came across that notion, but I suppose I filed it away and never intended to let it go until I’d tried it. So, I tested and came up with my own cookie dough recipe that features bacon fat and dang is it good.

The smoke from the bacon and the inherent richness lend a wonderful, yet subtle note to the finished cookies. We’re only replacing half of the butter with the bacon fat – not all of it.

Also, we’re sneaking in a little molasses and some warming allspice into the mix as well. The resulting cookie is one that is complex and interesting. It is familiar but it will play around with your taste buds, stretching that notion of familiarity just a touch. Really, really good.

How long does bacon fat last in the refrigerator?

I was so pleasantly surprised to find out that bacon fat will keep nicely for you, covered in the fridge, for up to 6 months. SIX MONTHS! This is great news, yes? I don’t use it frequently, I wouldn’t say. But having a small amount around to sneak into certain dishes, to really ramp up the flavor, is a good idea.

How to store bacon fat

It’s nice to know that it would go rancid on you any time soon. I typically keep a covered bowl of bacon fat in my refrigerator, and will actually add to it, any time I’ve got fresh bacon grease that needs a good home. After about six months, I will just throw it all out and start fresh, to guarantee that nothing’s been in there too long. Easy, peasy.

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What other things can you make with reserved bacon fat?

Th answer to the question is pretty limitless. Bacon fat is used just as any other fat either as A) A cooking medium or a 2) Requisite fat component of the food itself.

In short? You can cook ON it or use it IN your foods. Cook on to like you would butter or oil and use it inside your recipes as you would butter or oil. Just remember that it carries much more flavor than butter or oil, so use it sparingly.

You could use it to build flavor in classic Southern-style recipes, like this Chicken Fricassee or authentic Southern Mustard Greens. Use it as the flavor base and cooking far for my all-time favorite soup, this Best Ever Zuppa Toscana with Bacon Toasted Garlic. You could use some very cold, nearly frozen bacon fat in biscuits, like these angel biscuits or in Alison Roman’s Luckiest Biscuits in America.

What you’ll need

Th beacon fat is, of course, clutch here as it is the star of the show. But there are a couple more things that make this dough shine. These are the secret weapons that really hep lift an otherwise ordinary cookie dough into ultra special territory. Read on to see what they are, or simply scroll down to the printable recipe card, if you prefer.

INGREDIENTS

2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

1.5 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

8 to 12 oz. chopped semi-sweet chocolate (from 2 or 3, 4-oz. bars, depending on how chocolatey you like things)

1 stick unsalted butter

½ cup bacon fat, at room temperature

½ tsp molasses

1 packed cup light brown sugar

2 cup granulated sugar

3 tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp allspice

1 large egg

Crunchy, flaky sea salt for sprinkling on top

How to make cookies with bacon fat

To nail the right texture for these cookies (crispy edges, still soft middles) we’ll replace half of the butter in the base recipe with room temperature bacon fat. The really is such a great way to use up bacon fat that you have around – better than throwing it out for sure. Read on for the real deal how-to:

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil, shiny side facing up.

In a medium bowl, thoroughly whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter bacon fat, brown and white sugars, vanilla, and allspice until very fluffy; about 3 minutes. Add the egg, beat to combine. Add the flour mixture and chopped chocolate and mix just until evenly combined.

Using a small ice cream scoop or tablespoon measure, scoop 2 TBSP mounds of dough onto the baking sheets, keeping them at least 2 inches apart (I do 6 cookies per sheet at a time, working in batches). Sprinkle with a little sea salt, if desired. 

Bake for 7 minutes. Open the oven, lift a corner of the baking sheet and let it BANG! Back down on the oven rack, flattening the cookies. Do this every minute until the cookies are done; a total of about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the cookies when they’re golden brown and still a little doughy in the centers. They’ll set up as they cool. 

If you like the looks of these Bacon Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies, you might also enjoy:

Salted Toffee Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies

Best Ever Salted Chocolate Chunk Cookies

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