Chocolate covered pretzels with sprinkles in the form of candied bacon. Doesn't get much cooler than that.
Ingredients
For the Candied Bacon:
⅓ cup brown sugar (follow the link to make your own)
⅓ cup real maple syrup
½ pound bacon
For the Pretzels:
8 oz. bag of pretzel rods (I used Newman's Own organic)
1½ cups organic semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Lay your bacon slices on a cooling rack that is set on a baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, flipping the bacon half-way through.
Meanwhile, whisk together the brown sugar and maple syrup.
Remove the bacon from the oven and, using a pastry brush, baste both sides with the glaze.
Return to the oven for another 10 minutes. Remove, baste, and return for a total of 4 times (40 minutes all together). (In detail, this is what your basting/baking looks like start-to-finish: Baste, bake 10 minutes. Baste again, bake 10 minutes. Baste again, bake 10 minutes. Baste one last time, bake a final 10 minutes. So with your 15 minutes of pre-baking the bacon and 40 minutes of basting/baking, that gives you 55 minutes total.) Now, keep in mind the thickness of your bacon. My bacon is homemade and therefore medium to thick cut bacon. If you're using the super thin flimsy stuff, you may get done 10 minutes sooner (or more). You can tell that it's done when the glaze starts looking dark and the edges are firm and crystallizing. Don't expect that the bacon will be super crisp. As it cools, it firms up and that candy coating hardens.
Allow to cool completely (you can go ahead and put it in the refrigerator if you'd like).
Once cooled, chop up very fine.
Put the chocolate chips into a small double boiler (if you don't have a double boiler, find 2 small pots/saucepans- one that fits inside of the other- fill the bottom one with an inch of water and place the other on top). Put the chocolate chips in the top pot, bring water to a boil, then turn down to simmer.
Stir the chocolate frequently as it starts to melt.
Once smooth, it's time to start dipping the pretzels. I found that using a small rubber spatula was helpful to "drag" the chocolate up the pretzel, covering it about ¾ of the way. Shake off the excess. Then sprinkle (don't roll!) the chopped candied bacon over one side. Lay that side down on some parchment paper, then sprinkle the other side. Some pieces will slide down and that's okay- that is how the sides of the pretzel will get covered.
Cool completely and enjoy.
Recipe by Yellow Birch Hobby Farm at https://www.yellowbirchhobbyfarm.com/chocolate-covered-pretzels-with-candied-bacon/