Candied Bacons

When Camden turned one year old, his weight plateaued. When he had his two year old checkup, his weight didn't change. So his pediatrician suggested that I visit with a nutritionist. During the visit, I was very proud to show her Camden's food journal. After all, they were healthy homemade allergy free diet. BUT she said that the food I gave him was very high in carb. She suggested that I adjusted his diet with more protein food. That was when I started to think about what high protein meals I could make. He loved to snack so what about snacks?

I made a lot of changes to his diet, from making beef broth to adding quinoa to jasmine rice. Making high protein snacks was a challenge. I remember the nutritionist suggested giving him bacons, ham, etc. But the corn free ones were hard to find. When I found out that Whole Foods 365 bacons was corn free, I was thrilled. Their bacons, as it turned out, weren't salty or anything special. Tasted like cooked fatty meat. Pretty boring!!!

While I was watching Unique Sweet (as I always do to be inspired), there was an episode that showed candied bacon cupcakes. Ouuu... sounded interesting. There was no recipes, just a quick description that the bacons were sprinkled with brown sugar then cooked in the oven. The sugar caramelized the bacons to crisp and to have that candied texture.

I decided to test it out, and the bacons were super addictive. They were sweet and crisp. Just like candy. Of course, I didn't write down my method of cooking the candied bacons. I just winged it every time. I burned about five batches along the way. After reading a few cookbooks on candied bacons and watching cooking shows on how to cook bacons, I came up with my own simple steps. Give my recipe a try and don't blame me if you eat the whole batch of candied bacons all by yourself. They really are addicting.

Candied Bacons

1 lb bacon slices
6 Tablespoons light brown sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F degree. Place a baking rack over a baking tray. Set aside.
2. Spread the light brown sugar on a plate.
3. Coat each bacon slice with light brown sugar.
4. Arrange it on the baking rack.
5. Repeat step 3 and 4. Note: Cooked bacons do shrink. Arrange them as close together as possible but not overlapping them. If I don't have enough room for the last 4 to 6 slices, I just add them after the first 10 minutes of cooking.
6. Cook the bacons in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes, turning each bacon slices every 10 minutes. Note: If the bacons are thin slices, they will cook faster, about 20 minutes. Keep an eye out on the bacons, so they don't burn.
7. Once cooked, remove the bacons to a plate to cool. Do not leave them on the rack to cool or they will be difficult to remove. Enjoy them or keep the candy bacon in a tight container in a refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Cooking Note: In a hurry, cook the bacons under a broiler on HIGH or LOW setting. Whatever setting the broiler is on, keep an eye on the bacons. Every 2-3 minutes, you must check on them, or they will burn. I burned too many batches with this cooking method, but they cooked faster. I prefer to cook them as noted on my recipe above when I have more time (like while I'm having dinner or doing dishes).

Microwave bacon slices is another method of cooking candied bacons in a hurry. Placed bacons slices on top of microwavable plate lined with paper towel. Generously sprinkle light brown sugar on top of bacon slices. Place another paper towel on top of the bacons and microwave until crisp, 2 - 3 minutes. The bacons will be crispy after they are cool.

Keep in mind that the bacons will taste crispy the day they are cooked. I usually heat them up in the microwave for a few seconds. Not as crispy but chewy candied bacons.

Allergy Info: My candy bacon recipe is free from or can be made without dairy, eggs, corn, , legumes (soy), wheat, nuts, and fish.