Friday Fun: Recipe Included!

So the other day I was playing around on Pinterest and found the picture to the right. It's linked to a recipe for Salted Caramel Shortbread. A good friend of mine who goes by the name The Freeway Diva (The FWD) commented that it was like she and Noni got together and made a love baby. I laughed because she was right. That recipe plays to each of their strengths.

The FWD is an expert baker who takes care of all of our birthday cake needs, and Noni is a very fine cook who specializes in creative combinations. Lately Noni has been playing around with salty and sweet, recipes similar to the one below, for Cheesecake with a Chocolate Crust and Salted Caramel Sauce. Noni didn't make that one, but she could have. Maybe I'll ask for it the next time she offers to make dessert...














 
The idea of combining salty and sweet is very popular right now, and it's easy to find recipes based on that principle. I looked around the internet and found a recipe for Honey-Marinated Goat Cheese with Lavender, and one for Crispy Chocolate Peanut-Butter Cups. Even something as simple as the bag of Kettle Korn you buy on the way in to the baseball game is based on this concept.

Our girl Noni, well, she's got to push the envelope. She grabbed salty and sweet and took it to 11. Wanna know how?

She added bacon.

OMG does she rock or what?

So here, for those of you with adventurous palates, is Noni's recipe for Ginger-Bacon Cookies a Butter Glaze. Go on. Try 'em. They're all kinds of yum.



Noni speaks...and you're going to love what she has to say...

Ginger-Bacon Cookies with a Butter Glaze

3/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup dark molasses
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
4 strips thick cut bacon (maybe more?)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar. Beat in molasses and egg. Fry the bacon SLOWLY so it doesn't burn. chop it superfine. Add bacon and the remaining ingredients and combine thoroughly.
Form tablespoons of dough into balls and roll in sugar. Flatten on ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes. Cool.

Butter Glaze

Brown the butter on medium heat (no higher!), then add a pinch of salt and enough powdered sugar to make a drippable glaze. Dribble over cookies.



And other thing that's based on the principle of salty and sweet is the book Go The F*** To Sleep. If you've never seen this book, it looks an awful lot like something you'd read to a baby. Personally, I wouldn't, but, as you can see from the following video, some people do.
(The language in this video is quite, um, salty. Consider yourself warned.)

Thanks for playing along today. Leave a comment with your favorite salty/sweet recipe, and definitely let me n' Noni know if you try her recipe. Also, let me know what you think of the blog's new look. Is it too busy? Happy Weekend!
Peace,
Liv

Photo Credit: Vanilla Bean Cheesecake with Chocolate Crust and Salted Caramel
Photo Credit: Salted Caramel Shortbread
Photo Credit: Kettle Corn