Chocolate-Dipped Smoked Almond-Bacon Brittle

I am SO no kidding you right now! This really happened. And I have one of my best friends to thank for it. Two of them, actually!

My lifelong friend, Libby, is throwing a Bacon party this weekend, and each guest is asked to bring some food containing bacon--classic or otherwise. Right away I decided to bring my favorite layered salad and some Bacon Explosions that I have in the freezer. My friend, Meg, decided she wanted to try something from her I Love Bacon cookbook. But since she hadn't tried making it before, she came over so that we could test it out first, in case it was a massive fail. But honestly, how can anything with bacon and candy together in one place be a failure? I know.

Since we were unsure of how many people we'd be feeding, we decided to double the recipe. (This was also because Meg was certain only half of it would make it to the party.) This more than quadrupled the cook time, however, so if you're going to double this recipe, I highly suggest you do it in batches. Or have plenty of wine handy to help you power through all the stirring.

In classic M.E. style, one ingredient got left out--the pink peppercorns. I ended up grinding a little black pepper in and also adding a couple dashes of cayenne to give it a kick, but the heat is lost in all the sweet. It's still yummy, though, and I'm sure it's going to be a huge hit!

Thanks for joining me, Meg! We may just have to make this a regular thing...

(Yes, we got photobombed by the mister.)

Chocolate-Dipped Smoked Almond-Bacon Brittle

¼ pound bacon
2 cups smoked almonds
1 ¼ cups sugar
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons water
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes, at room temperature
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon crushed pink peppercorns
8 ounces 60% cacao chocolate, chopped
Instructions:

Cut bacon into bite-size pieces. Place pieces in large saute pan and cook over medium heat until crispy, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. Coarsely chop smoked almonds and set aside. Line baking sheet with silicone liner or waxed paper.

In large saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup and water. Cook mixture on medium-high heat about 4 minutes, or until sugar turns thick and syrupy. Slowly add softened butter and continue stirring until mixture emulsifies. Keep cooking and stirring until mixture is golden brown, about 4 minutes longer.

Remove pan from heat. If mixture is not smooth, whisk until it is. Stir in baking soda, salt, peppercorns, crispy bacon bits and almonds. Quickly but carefully pour brittle onto prepared baking sheet. When cool and hard, break brittle into bite-size pieces.

Melt chocolate in microwave in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring in between intervals, until mixture is entirely melted but not hot. Cool chocolate to room temperature, then either dip pieces of brittle in the chocolate or drizzle the chocolate on top. Chill brittle until chocolate is set. Store in a tightly sealed container for up to 1 week.