This bourbon bacon brittle is made with candied bacon, toasted pecans and bourbon. It's the crunchiest, most delicious brittle you will ever have.
I love love love candied bacon. By itself, in cookies, wrapped around dates, you name it. And then I took it one step further and added bourbon.
It seemed like a good idea (adding bourbon to anything is probably a good idea). So basically, my life is complete.
But, wait! That's not all. Ya know what I topped it with? Sea salt. Because you can't have a sweet and savory brittle without a little salt on top (in my world, you can't have anything without a little salt on top).
Everyone that knows my father knows that his drink of choice is bourbon. Makers Mark to be exact. On the rocks. Once when Chelsea came over, she thought that his glass of bourbon sitting on the counter was coke and chugged it.
I cried laughing it was so funny. From that day forward, there was not one glass that I didn't sniff before I took a swig. Even water. Could be anything...vodka, tequila, gin.
Even if it's 10 a.m. I don't risk it.
You may be thinking this candied bacon sounds complicated, but I promise, it's not! Just throw some bourbon and brown sugar on them, pop them in the oven and wha-la!
The slightly tricky part of this recipe is the actual brittle. The timing of when you pull it off the heat and the amount of time you have to get it spread out makes it challenging. But that's what makes it fun!
And like 100 times more rewarding when it works.
This recipe is made for sharing. Wrap it up during the holidays and give it as a gift, set it out at parties, share with your friends or even add it to ice cream.
Bourbon Bacon Brittle
Ingredients
- For the Candied Bacon:
- 12 strips thick cut bacon
- 3 tablespoons bourbon
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- For the Brittle:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons bourbon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- For the Candied Bacon:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Lay bacon strips on a foil lined baking sheet. Brush bacon with bourbon and sprinkle with brown sugar on both sides.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes, until it starts to caramelize and becomes crispy.
- Chop the bacon with a knife into small bite size pieces.
- For the Brittle:
- Spread the pecans on a baking sheet and lightly toast them in the oven at 400 degrees for 7 minutes.
- Line a baking sheet with a silpat mat or parchment paper.
- Make sure you have all the rest of your ingredients measured and ready to pour in the brittle when it gets to the candy stage. You can mix the vanilla and bourbon and the bacon and pecans together to make it easier.
- In a medium sauce pan, combine the sugar, corn syrup and water over medium heat. Stir constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture starts to boil.
- Increase the heat to high and cook, without stirring, until it reaches 290°F using a candy thermometer. I recommend using one, but if you don't have one, boil until it turns a golden amber color. Once it reaches this temp add the bourbon, bacon and pecans. Mix and allow mixture to get to 310°F. Immediately remove from heat.
- Quickly stir in butter, vanilla, and baking soda.
- Pour mixture onto the prepared baking sheet as quickly and thinly as possible. Use a wooden spoon to spread it if necessary.
- Sprinkle with sea salt right away and cool for at least 20 minutes. Once it set, break into pieces and enjoy!
- Can be stored in an air tight container for up to a week.
Note: This recipe was tested again and updated so the mixture reaches 310°F.
Michele Munger says
I have not made this yet, I would like to be able to see your comments from readers that have made this.
Molly Thompson says
It's really good! I can't figure out how to get all of the comments to show, but I promise it's worth it!
Margaret says
In step 9 you say "You can mix the vanilla and bourbon and the bacon and pecans together to make it easier." But in step 12 you say "Quickly stir in butter, vanilla, and baking soda." So maybe fix that so people know when to actually add the vanilla. I think my bacon must've been too thick (I bought store brand "thick bacon" so I assumed it would work) because it took way longer than 13-15 minutes to caramelize and the ends started turning black and never actually got crispy. I also only Chopped up 6 pieces of bacon because it seemed excessive when I looked at the pecan:bacon ratio.
When I finally got to 290° and added my other ingredients, it definitely burned quickly, especially the bacon pieces. I do not know if this will be edible, I'm still waiting for it to cool, but it's not looking promising. Sorry, I won't be using this recipe again or any others if they are this confusing and inaccurate.
Susan Finnell says
A little too much bacon in my opinion and I am a huge bacon fan. I even used part thick and part regular sliced bacon and only 10 slices. I think because of the amount of bacon its made this a bit on the chewy side because of the bacon to candy ratio. I would recommend regular sliced bacon and no more than 6 slices.
I will try this again without so much bacon
Bill says
Me too
CINDY says
Recipe fail on my end. The flavor was great. I did reduce the amount of bacon I added because it appeared to be too much based on the ratio of pecans. The flavor is great, however mine did not cool as a brittle, it is a rubber mat. It is very chewy like caramel. What did I do wrong?
Molly Thompson says
Thanks, Susan!
Jacque says
Mine was a disaster! After adding the bacon, bourbon and pecans, the sugar started to burn before the temperature hit 300, much less 310. Temperatures were just too high. Wouldn’t spread at all. What a waste of good bacon.
Valerie says
Exactly the same for me. Keeping it at high heat is an error, I believe. Plus, I think once you add the bacon and nuts you need to be stirring. The recipe doesn’t say to. Mine went dark immediately and isn’t gift-worthy.
Tracy Gossett says
Mine burnt also after putting in the bacon and pecans. Not sure how to avoid that. A lot of money and work in the trash
Christie says
Same thing happened to me. Burnt immediately. What a waste. DO NOT MAKE THIS RECIPE
Susan Finnell says
I wouldn’t say not to make it. I think it has a good flavor. Just needs to tweak a little. I always think it takes a few tries to perfect a recipe.
Frankie says
If I were to make this recipe again I would:
not even think of cooking the brittle above medium low ( on my range 4 out of 10); add the bacon, pecans, flavoring and baking soda when the brittle reached 300 (hard crack); and up the baking soda to one tablespoon - I prefer honeycomb type brittle - this one was too hard for my preference. Cooking the bacon in the brittle reduced it to unappealing black bits, even at the lower the directed temperature.
Molly Thompson says
Thanks for your feedback! That's the great thing about cooking, you can get creative and if you know how to do it you can swap things out for your taste! I personally love this the way it is!
Gail says
I ageee with Frankie, I make 20 lbs toffee every year for xmas(most requested). You need to havee everything ready to go & pull at 290. 1t baking soda is more than enough if made correctly. I’ll be making it!
Melissa StPierre says
This recipe is amazing! I made so many batches for family & friends for Christmas and they loved it! I did use only 6 slices of candied bacon for each batch, which I thought was a good amount. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
Molly Thompson says
Thanks, Melissa!!! So glad you liked it!
Kaye says
I hope I don't offend as I haven't made this recipe yet but I have made a TON of various types of brittles in my life. In all I've ever made, once the mixture comes to temperature, you take it off the heat, quickly mix in the remaining ingredients, and pour it on your cooling pan. Also, 1 tsp isn't nearly enough baking soda for a good "foamy" brittle.
All that said, the recipe sounds DELICIOUS and I plan to make it in the near future, using the method I've always used for brittles.
Amy says
Mine did not set up. Ooey gooey mess!
Jessica says
Can you refrigerate for a longer shelf life?
Molly Thompson says
Hey Jessica! I don't recommend storing it in the fridge. The moisture from the fridge will cause the brittle to soften. If you wrap it in plastic wrap and store it in an air tight container it should last at room temp for up to 2 months!
Jenifer says
Is there a good substitute for nuts?
Molly Thompson says
You could do some sort of seed, like pumpkin!
Zach says
As many have said, this is a quick way to waste your ingredients. I’ve now got sticky toffee with burnt pecans by following this recipe. It sounds nice, and it appears to have worked for a few people, but not me, and many others…
Jill says
Is there a way to increase the bourbon taste? We love the bacon flavor but we were missing out on the promised bourbon flavor. I even added a couple of additional tsp when I added the butter.
John says
While I haven't made this version I have made TONS of brittle and my own version of bacon brittle. Here are some suggestions:
1. Cut out at least 1/3 of the bacon. Too much bacon makes the brittle chewy and it won't set quite right.
2. You can toast your pecans before using them but remember that the sooner you put them in the brittle, the more "done" they will get. You MUST stir after adding or the nuts will burn.
3. I put the nuts, vanilla, bourbon in when the temp of my sugar mixture gets to 255 F. The mixture will them cool down about 10 degrees. Keep stirring until the sugar mixture reaches 285 F and remove it from the heat source.
4. After removing from the heat, mix in "extras" and baking soda. Mix WELL. I usually use 2 tsp for a recipe of this size.
5. Pour quickly and smooth with silicone spatula. You can quickly add other "extras" here, sprinkling over the top. Just determine which can handle the heat and which ones can't.
Hope these notes help. Good luck!
Baconfesso says
Thanks!
Baconfesso says
Hi Molly, I'm trying to reproduce your bacon brittle recipe, but I'm having a problem with the bacon point, for the sauce to reach 310º the bacon burns, do you have any tips for the bacon not to be overcooked?
Gail says
Also a dash of cayenne is delightful
JoAnne says
What size baking sheet do you recommend?
Dawn says
I have the same question. The size of the baking sheet is important for the thickness of the brittle.
Joe C. says
Made it. Came out perfect. Thanks for the quick recipe!
Joe C. says
I meant to 5 star it the first time, but hey, thanks again!
Kathy says
I love this candy and my family does too!!
Lowell says
All I can say is following the directions was a total disaster. I had to pull it from the pan before it came close to 310. I now have a burnt mass of bacon and pecans.
I feel this recipe should be pulled off the internet so others don't waste their ingredients and time.
Jeanne says
Temp dropped when bacon/pecans were added. Then it all burned way before reaching 280 again let alone 310, def not good die too s wanted all these ingredients
Liz says
No stars! Horrible recipe! Like others, I follows the recipe to a T! First of all, pecans burn not toast at 400 degrees! And yes I pulled my pot from the heat seconds after adding the bacon and pecans because they started to burn! You should be ashamed, Molly! Thanks for wasting my expensive ingredients!
Monica says
I made this and it came out perfect. I used a heavy porcelain coated cast iron pot, a good candy thermometer. I didn't add the bacon and pecan pieces until the temp reached 300*F. As soon as it reached 310*F I turned the heat down to med to keep it warm while I mixed in the bourbon, vanilla and butter. I turned the heat off then quickly stirred in the baking soda and spread it onto my prepared pan. I do agree that it is too much bacon and will cut back in the future.