BACON BROWNIES! 50 Women Game Changers in Food: #44 Nigella Lawson

When I think of Nigella Lawson, I think satisfyingly easy comfort food and chocolate.  She is number 44 on the 50 Women Game Changers, but she is personally one of my top lady cooks.  I used to watch her show on the Style Network and loved how she ended every show with her dipping into leftovers at midnight in her pjs.  Adorable!  As she is known as "The Queen of Food Porn," I thought I would honor her by doing my most indulgent recipe ever - BACON BROWNIES.

Yes, bacon brownies.  Rich, chewy, chocolate brownies with maple glazed bacon flecks adding a salty sweet surprise.  I changed her recipe up a little by baking my bacon in the oven and (of course) adding more bacon.  I brought them to kickball last night and they were a hit!  But I did learn a lesson about making brownies on and around 4/20...

Just as a note, if you do not have a kitchen scale check her website for conversions.  I really recommend getting a kitchen scale, if only so you can enjoy more of Nigella's recipes!

Speaking of, here are all of the other ladies participating today:
Val - More Than Burnt Toast, Taryn - Have Kitchen Will Feed, Susan - The Spice Garden
Heather - girlichef, Miranda - Mangoes and Chutney, Amrita - Beetles Kitchen Escapades
Mary - One Perfect Bite, Sue - The View from Great Island, Barbara - Movable Feasts
Linda A - There and Back Again, Nancy - Picadillo, Mireya - My Healthy Eating Habits
Veronica - My Catholic Kitchen, Annie - Most Lovely Things, Jeanette - Healthy Living
Claudia - Journey of an Italian Cook, Alyce - More Time at the Table
Kathy - Bakeaway with Me, Martha - Simple Nourished Living, Jill - Saucy Cooks 
Sarah - Everything in the Kitchen Sink


Bacon Brownies
Adapted from Nigella Lawson
1 cup chopped maple baked bacon, plus some to top (recipe follows)
150 g AP flour
75 g cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
150 g of melted butter
250 g of light brown sugar
4 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 375 F and prepare a 8X8 pan with butter.  First, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan and pour over the brown sugar.  Mix with an electric mixer to cool down the temperature.

Add the eggs one at a time.

Gently add the dry ingredients in two batches and mix with a spatula, not the mixer (unless you like being covered in cocoa powder).

Mix in the maple bacon pieces, pour the batter in the prepared pan, and top with a little more bacon.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, with just a little "gooeyness" left.  Let cool and serve with ice cream!

Maple Baked Bacon
1 12oz package of thick cut bacon
~2 tablespoons maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 400 F.  Line 2 baking sheets with foil and baking racks.  Lay the bacon over the racks, bake for about 20 minutes.

Pull out of the oven and brush the maple syrup over the bacon and return to the oven.  Bake for another 5-10 minutes, until starting to crisp and the maple syrup bubbles on the surface of the bacon.  Cut into bite sized pieces for the brownies!