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    Home » Recipes

    Bourbon Bacon Brittle

    Updated: March 29, 2022 | Published on: December 10, 2015 - Molly25 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    This bourbon bacon brittle is made with candied bacon, toasted pecans and bourbon. It's the crunchiest, most delicious brittle you will ever have.

    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).

    This bourbon bacon brittle is made with candied bacon, toasted pecans and bourbon. It's the crunchiest, most delicious brittle you will ever have.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.

    This bourbon bacon brittle is made with candied bacon, toasted pecans and bourbon. It's the crunchiest, most delicious brittle you will ever have.

    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 bourbon bacon brittle is made with candied bacon, toasted pecans and bourbon. It's the crunchiest, most delicious brittle you will ever have.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

    Sweet, salty and crunchy, this Bourbon Bacon Brittle is a delicious snack or amazing added to recipes like ice cream and popcorn.
    3.63 from 491 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 30 minutes
    Cook Time: 35 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
    Servings: 24 pieces
    Author: Bests and Bites
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    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.
    Did you make this recipe?Mention @What_MollyMade or tag #whatmollymade!

    Note: This recipe was tested again and updated so the mixture reaches 310°F.

    This bourbon bacon brittle is made with candied bacon, toasted pecans and bourbon. It's the crunchiest, most delicious brittle you will ever have.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Michele Munger says

      November 22, 2020 at 11:43 am

      3 stars
      I have not made this yet, I would like to be able to see your comments from readers that have made this.

      Reply
      • Molly Thompson says

        November 25, 2020 at 10:49 am

        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!

        Reply
    2. Susan Finnell says

      December 13, 2020 at 12:02 pm

      3 stars
      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

      Reply
      • Bill says

        December 23, 2020 at 1:14 pm

        5 stars
        Me too

        Reply
      • Molly Thompson says

        January 06, 2021 at 1:03 pm

        Thanks, Susan!

        Reply
    3. Jacque says

      December 16, 2020 at 6:23 pm

      1 star
      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.

      Reply
      • Valerie says

        December 22, 2020 at 7:56 pm

        1 star
        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.

        Reply
    4. Tracy Gossett says

      December 20, 2020 at 12:33 pm

      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

      Reply
    5. Christie says

      December 23, 2020 at 2:52 pm

      1 star
      Same thing happened to me. Burnt immediately. What a waste. DO NOT MAKE THIS RECIPE

      Reply
      • Susan Finnell says

        December 23, 2020 at 8:32 pm

        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.

        Reply
    6. Frankie says

      December 29, 2020 at 7:13 pm

      2 stars
      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.

      Reply
      • Molly Thompson says

        January 06, 2021 at 12:37 pm

        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!

        Reply
    7. Melissa StPierre says

      January 13, 2021 at 9:34 am

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
      • Molly Thompson says

        January 15, 2021 at 11:56 am

        Thanks, Melissa!!! So glad you liked it!

        Reply
    8. Kaye says

      January 13, 2021 at 7:37 pm

      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.

      Reply
    9. Amy says

      November 14, 2021 at 9:19 pm

      Mine did not set up. Ooey gooey mess!

      Reply
    10. Jessica says

      December 12, 2021 at 8:02 am

      Can you refrigerate for a longer shelf life?

      Reply
      • Molly Thompson says

        December 14, 2021 at 10:02 am

        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!

        Reply
    11. Jenifer says

      December 15, 2021 at 10:31 am

      Is there a good substitute for nuts?

      Reply
      • Molly Thompson says

        December 16, 2021 at 12:19 pm

        You could do some sort of seed, like pumpkin!

        Reply
    12. Zach says

      December 23, 2021 at 10:35 pm

      1 star
      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…

      Reply
    13. Jill says

      January 01, 2022 at 10:46 am

      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.

      Reply
    14. John says

      March 08, 2022 at 8:36 am

      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!

      Reply
      • Baconfesso says

        March 30, 2022 at 9:27 pm

        Thanks!

        Reply
    15. Baconfesso says

      March 30, 2022 at 9:25 pm

      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?

      Reply

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