Bacon & Salted Caramel Brownies

Rich brownies swirled with a bacon salted-caramel mixture.

🍳 Cook: 40 min🍽️ Makes 16

Ingredients

4 slices		bacon
1/2 cup	120 ml	heavy cream
1/4 cup	60 ml	unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups	480 ml	granulated sugar, divided (1 c plus 1 c)
—		salted butter, divided and cut into pieces (6 T plus 1/2 c)
3		eggs
1 tsp	5 ml	vanilla
1 cup	240 ml	all-purpose flour
6 oz	170 g	dark chocolate, finely chopped

In medium skillet, fry bacon slices until crisp. Remove bacon, reserving the bacon grease in the pan. Add cream to pan and let cool. When bacon has cooled, crumble or chop finely.
In medium saucepan, heat 1 cup sugar over high heat until the mixture is liquid and deep amber in color. Add 6 tablespoons butter and cooled bacon cream mixture. Stir until butter is melted. Add chopped bacon and let cool.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease bottom of an 8×8-inch baking pan with butter or shortening.
In large saucepan, melt remaining butter and dark chocolate over very low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in cocoa powder. Whisk until smooth and add in eggs, one at a time. Mix in remaining sugar, vanilla and flour, just until combined.
Spread half the brownie batter in the prepared baking pan. Drop half the bacon caramel mixture by tablespoon, evenly spaced, over the brownie batter. Spread remaining brownie batter over the top, and then drop remaining bacon caramel mixture by spoonfuls over the top of the brownies. Drag the back of the tablespoon through the batter to create a swirled effect.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Cut into 4 rows by 4 rows to make 16 brownies.