Man, I have been engaged in a cookie baking extravaganza for the entire past 2 days!!

Baking is my therapy. Not only does it allow me to productively enjoy some solitude, it also gives me an opportunity to give back to friends and family who are special to me. After all, I can’t consume all the shit I bake, can I?? Well…

I’m not going to blow a bunch of smoke right now. I still have many cookies to bake which means I have many more recipes to write, so let’s not stand on ceremony.

These are awesome breakfast tea cookies. I mean, they taste like a crunchy bite of pancakes and bacon. Hello!!

I know that Vermont is the maple capital of the world, but make no mistake, Michigan maple syrup is nothing to sneeze at. I choose to use a traditional one made by Droscha Farms out of Mason, MI. Wherever you live, I encourage you to buy local, but if you can’t find a good one; just follow that link up there. They’ll hook you up.

This cookie is tender, buttery and the bacon bits in it make it really do jumping jacks on the palate. It’s a WOW cookie. And it’s so damn easy!! Don’t be intimidated by the candied bacon. If you are, it can be skipped in favor of plain bacon bits, but be sure to use real bacon.

Do not cheapen my recipe with Bac-Os™️, please. Yes. This is its own paragraph. Also, you won’t get a good result with commercial pancake syrup either, so just do the right thing and make it with quality ingredients.

Let’s get to it. I have 2 dozen Snickerdoodles and 7 dozen cut-outs to attack still tonight while enjoying the annual viewing of “Goodfellas” because it’s a great mob flick with lots of Christmas scenes in it. The oven is hot and times a wastin’.

What You Need:

1 c butter, softened

1/2 c 100% pure maple syrup

1/4 c packed brown sugar

2 c flour

1/4 tsp salt

Candied Bacon Bits:

6 slices bacon

2 Tbsp brown sugar

Maple Glaze:

3/4 c confectioners sugar

1/3 c 100% pure maple syrup

What You Do:

Candied bacon bits:

Lay bacon on a baking sheet lined with parchment.

Sprinkle with brown sugar.

Bake at 400 for 15 minutes or until crispy.

Carefully remove from pan and lay on paper towels to drain grease.

When it’s cool and crispy, chop with a knife into tiny bits. I don’t recommend the food processor because it gets too sticky. Use them knife skills, homie.

Cookies:

Cream butter, syrup and sugar until well blended. Don’t over mix this. Just get it creamy, but not fluid.

Sift the flour and salt together in a separate bowl.

Gradually add flour and salt, mixing at low speed.

Keep the dough fairly stiff. Scrape the bowl to be sure ingredients are well incorporated.

Fold bacon bits in gently.

Shape the dough into a ball and wrap in film.

Refrigerate 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350. If you’re anything like me, it’s probably been running all day.

Line baking sheets with parchment.

Turn dough into a floured surface and use rolling pin to flatten to a sheet.

Cut your cookies with shaped cutter or into rounds, and place 1.5 inches apart on baking sheet. I made mine Mittens because I live here in lovely Michigan. Next time I’ll put a little candy marker on my town!!

You’ll roll, cut, bake, roll, cut, bake, roll, cut…you get the picture; until you’re out of dough. Keep these fairly thick (1/4-1/2″) or they’ll get too crisp. It’s up to you. I made the first batch too thin.

Bake 10 – 12 minutes checking regularly as to not over bake. They should stay fairly pale. They will only expand slightly.

Remove and let cool 5 minutes on the cookie sheet, then move to a baking rack to complete cooling.

Make your glaze by mixing the confectioners sugar and maple syrup in a small mixing bowl with hand mixer.

I transferred my glaze into a squeeze bottle to get the drizzle effect.

You can also reserve some bacon bits for topping effect. I did a few that way.

See!! Adorable!!

Store these in an air tight container with a slice of bread to keep them tender. Yes, TENDER. That’s the word for them.

Stay tuned for more yummy cookie ideas, that is, if I can turn off the oven and turn on the lap top again someday soon.

Happy Holidays, Friends.

cHELLe ON WHEELS©️2018