Maple Bacon Chocolate Chunk Cookies. (Gluten/Grain/Starch/Egg/Dairy Free with directions to make Sugar Free.)

Call me crazy..but I LOVE bacon & chocolate together. The flavors mesh so well if they are combined in the right proportion. Since I’m  in full blown cookie mode..I couldn’t resist taking a chance with this recipe and having a little fun.

You’ll either love or hate the idea of these.

Today I’m providing you a recipe that you can take 3 different ways.  Each requires a slightly different amount of sugar. So pay close attention! All three versions of these cookies will turn out  crisp on the outside and goo-ey on the inside! For those of you skeptical of flavor’s # 2& 3. You MUST MUST try the basic maple cookie. I promise you, its a big winner.

• Flavor # 1: Maple. And let me tell you- this cookie without the add ins is DELICIOUS. It literally tastes like buttery pancakes doused in maple syrup. I highly recommend you try the recipe at least once this way. (For fun try adding some freeze dried blueberries to make blueberry pancake cookies!)
• Flavor #2: Maple & Bacon.  Think pancakes, their syrup and a nibble of bacon all in one bite.
• Flavor #3: Maple + Bacon + Chocolate:  chocolate takes this recipe to a whole new level of sweet and salty. Its for the bold folks that want to try a fun and wild  flavor combo.

 

Flavor #1: Maple (Pancake & Syrup Cookies)

• 2 packed Cups Blanched Almond Flour 
• 1 Tsp. Baking Powder
• 1/4 Tsp. Salt
• 3 Tbs  room temp. Butter (Earth Balance, Ghee, Shortening or Coconut oil.) *for best flavor use butter, earth balance or ghee.
• 1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 3 Tbs Maple Syrup (see substitution notes below)
• 1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar (see substitution notes below)

 *Recipe Notes:  These cookies will take roughly 15-17 minutes to bake. Baking times will vary depending on the sugar you select. Remove from oven when the edges are lightly golden brown

Flavor #2: Maple + Bacon

• 2 packed Cups Blanched Almond Flour 
• 1 Tsp. Baking Powder
• 1/4 Tsp. Salt
• 3 Tbs room temp. Butter (Earth Balance, Ghee, Shortening or Coconut oil.) 
  
• 1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 3 Tbs Maple Syrup (see substitution notes below)
• 1/3 Cup Granulated Sugar (see substitution notes below) (Note: up t0 1/2 cup of sugar can be used for an extra sweet cookie.)
• 3 slices of bacon cooked until crisp and chopped. 

* Recipe Notes: The cookie dough for this version might be slightly sticky  (it will for sure be sticky if you opt to use the full 1/2 cup of sugar). If its too difficult for you to work with place the dough in the freezer until chilled.  These cookies will take roughly 18-21 minutes to bake. Baking times will vary depending on the sugar that you select. Remove from oven when the edges are lightly golden brown.

Flavor # 3: Maple + Bacon + Chocolate

• 2 packed Cups Blanched Almond Flour 
• 1 Tsp. Baking Powder
• 1/4 Tsp. Salt
• 3 Tbs room temp. Butter (Earth Balance, Ghee, Shortening or Coconut oil.) 
  
• 1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 3 Tbs Maple Syrup (see substitution notes below)
• 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar (see substitution notes below)
• 3 slices of bacon cooked until crisp and chopped. 
• 1/2 Bar  (50 grams) of Chocolate Chopped into chunks (see substitution notes below)

* Recipe Notes: The cookie dough for this version will probably be a little sticky. If its too difficult for you to work with place the dough in the freezer until chilled.  These cookies will take roughly 19-21 minutes to bake. Baking times will vary depending on the sugar that you select. Remove from oven when the edges are lightly golden brown.

Directions (for all 3 version)

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees. (unless making the  Maple + Bacon + Chocolate flavor as that dough will need time to chill in the freezer.) Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or by hand) mix the Almond Flour, Baking Powder, Salt, Butter, Maple Syrup and sugar.
3. If using the bacon and or chocolate stir them in.
4. Form dough into 8-10 round cookies that are 2-3 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick.  Place on cookie sheet leaving space between each cookie.
5. Bake 15-22 minutes (see cooking times above). until the edges are golden.
6. Remove from oven and allow to cool before eating. Store in a sealed bag in the fridge or the freezer.(If you left out the bacon they can be stored at room temp.)

 **

Substitution Notes:

• Instead of blanched almond flour feel free to use another homemade nut or seed flour. Sunflower seed flour reacts to baking soda and powder and turns green if you surpass a certain amount of baking powder per cup of flour. (I don’t know what this exact amount is and will be toying with this in the future.) This is something to be aware of if you try using homemade sunflower seed flour,  If your not a risk taker- then try using less baking powder in the recipe than I have called for. For the best results use a mild tasting nut or seed flour.
• To make your own Nut or Seed flour: simply run the nut or seed in a high powdered blender or coffee grinder until you have a super fine flour. (If the flour is course- the recipe might not work as well.) If you flour is course, then be aware that your cookies are going to spread more and not turn out as good.
• Coconut flour or any of the starchy grain based flours will NOT work in this recipe. Only use other Nut/Seed flours.
• The granulated sugar can be ANY of the following varieties: Organic Cane Sugar (with the larger crystal size) Sucanat, Coconut Palm Sugar or Granulated Maple Sugar. To make this recipe SUGAR FREE use xylitol or erythritol. I have become a huge fan of the Truvia Baking Blend made out of erythritol and is available at most grocery stores. It works spectacular in all of my cookie recipes.  (Note: Regular cane sugar will probably work too- but may make the cookies potentially too moist. Since it tends to be sweeter you may also need a little less, so I recommend starting with less and then taste your cookie dough for sweetness to decide how much you want to use. The cookies will lose some of their sweetness when baked.)
•  To make these cookies 100% sugar free use  Joseph’s All Natural Maple Flavor Syrup. Also feel free to Agave or Coconut Nectar in a pinch.
  
• For the Chocolate: I used a bar of Simply Light sugar free/ dairy free  dark chocolate. It can be found at Trader Joe’s or Whole foods. Any bar of chocolate can be used in this recipe.. additionally you can always just use allergen free chocolate chips or chunks from Enjoy Life. Be careful not to use more chocolate than I have called for- as it can dominate the flavor quickly and you will lose the bacon flavor.
• PLEASE follow these guidelines if you would like the recipe to work! Making other changes will give you different results. Experiment at your own risk.

Have Fun!!

-Brittany-