Growing up, it was common for our family to bake a variety of Christmas cookies in the weeks leading up to Christmas and exchange them with family and friends. I recently came across this recipe from Erin Moon for what may be the ultimate Christmas cookie - Ginger Bacon Molasses Cookies. Because, how can you make anything (even cookies!) better? ADD BACON!
For this recipe, we used our original hickory smoked bacon, but our applewood smoked bacon would also be a great choice. And since the bacon is crumbled in the end, you could also use our bacon ends!
What are some of your favorite Christmas cookies? Make sure to let us know in the comments!
What you'll need for this recipe:
1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup sugar
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
6-12 pieces Stoltzfus Meats bacon, cooked and crumbled
6 Tbsp chilled, rendered bacon fat
6 Tbsp butter, softened
1/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup molasses
Directions:
Cook bacon. Remove from pan to paper towel lined plate. Allow bacon grease to cool in pan and add rendered bacon fat to small heat safe bowl to completely cool.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Place 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a shallow dish.
Whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, pepper, and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.
Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat butter, bacon fat, brown sugar, and remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Reduce speed to medium-low and add egg yolk and vanilla, beating until incorporated. Add molasses and beat until combined (about 20 seconds), scraping down the bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture. Beat until incorporated (about 30 seconds). Finally, add the crumbled bacon pieces. Stir the dough one more time to ensure the bacon is mixed in and that no flour pockets remain. Dough will be soft.
Working with 1 tablespoon of dough at a time, roll into balls. Roll the dough balls in the sugar. Place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake 1 sheet at a time until cookies are brown, still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, about 10 minutes. Cookies will look raw in between cracks and seem underdone. Do not overbake!
Let cookies cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
As always, if you make this recipe, we would love to hear about it. Please let us know in the comments or be sure to tag us on social media. Thanks for joining us for Stoltzfus Eats… where feeding you is our pleasure!