The Baconator
In my house we have a healthy appreciation for bacon. Not a weekend goes by where we don’t have at least one “big” breakfast– and for better or worse,  it always includes bacon. Though I try not to have it too often, bacon still seems to sneak in to things like salads. (it’s stealthy that way) Of the five of us, there is only one who loves bacon above all things. We call him, The Baconator.

The Baconator is twelve years old, and is the proud owner of a hollow leg (because anyone who is 5’ 5” and eats as much as he does, while not breaking the 100 lb. mark, either has a hollow leg or a parasite). Add bacon to the mix, and it just gets ridiculous. He even asked for bacon for Christmas one year…we opted for the I ❤️ Bacon T-shirt.

So it was no surprise that when flipping through a cookbook a friend recently gave me, my son yelled out “Holy tights, Mom! We gotta make these!” The these that he was referring to are some Bacon Peanut Truffles that were listed in Southern Living’s Feel Good Food Cookbook.

Chocolate and peanut butter has always been a favorite combination of mine. I would hoard the peanut butter cups at Halloween, and ration them for as long as I could. Making these Bacon Peanut Truffles was a no-brainer, and so worth it. They are also pretty easy, which makes them great for gift giving and there are only 151 days until Christmas…

Bacon Peanut Truffles
Adapted from the Feel Good Food Cookbook from Southern Living Magazine
makes about 2 dozen

Ingredients
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup honey-roasted peanuts
8 thick bacon slices, cooked and divided
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
finishing salt like fleur de sel or a smoked salt

Directions
Process the brown sugar, salt and honey-roasted peanuts with 6 bacon slices in a food processor for about 30 seconds, or until finely ground. In a small bowl, stir together the bacon mixture and peanut butter until smooth. Cover and chill for 2 hours.

Scoop up a rounded teaspoon of the bacon mixture, and form it into a ball that is approximately three-quarters of an inch. Shape the ball into an oblong, flatten one side, and place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat until you use up all the mixture, and refrigerate for one hour.

Finely chop the remaining 2 bacon slices. Microwave the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl at high for 1 1/2 minutes, stirring at 30-second intervals, or in a double boiler, until melted and smooth. Using two forks, dip the chilled bacon truffles into the melted chocolate. Carefully place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, and immediately sprinkle chopped bacon and finishing salt on the top of each one. Chill chill for half an hour to set before serving.

They can be stored in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to 2 weeks.