When I was in 5th grade, my class went on an overnight trip to a pioneer farm. We took a tour of the farm, learned about the equipment and tools, and slept that evening in a real pioneer cabin. The next morning after breakfast, we were given our authentic pioneer chores. Mine was cleaning up after the farm’s pig, Susan Bacon Anthony. I was not amused.

While some of my friends pressed apples into cider, and other classmates tried out the tools at the blacksmith house, I trudged through the mud towards the barn. Susan Bacon Anthony was a huge pig, bright pink and vivacious. My mood lightened considerably even as I raked out her pen, and by the end of the morning, I was in love. I considered the possibilities of owning a pet pig.

By the time my parents arrived to pick me up, I had an announcement to make – I was becoming a vegetarian so that I never had to eat a Susan Bacon Anthony, or any of her friends, ever again.

My parents seemed complacent enough throughout the drive home. When they started on breakfast, though, my dad asked casually, “This means no bacon for you, right?”

As a child I was passionate about bacon. I couldn’t get enough of its smokiness, its crisp and chewy texture, its salty goodness. But at ten years old I stood my ground and agreed – no bacon. I told myself it was a sacrifice I’d have to make, and I pictured Susan Bacon Anthony’s corkscrew tail and thin, floppy ears.

As the pan sizzled and the house filled with the smell of bacon, I ended up going outside. I clutched a glass of orange juice and sipped it fervently, trying not to give in. Ten minutes into our breakfast, I caved, and took a piece of bacon from the center plate. We all knew the two hour vegetarianism had only been a half-hearted attempt at best, and I haven’t tried to play the vegetarian card since.

I’m not fooling anybody.

When faced with bacon brownies, I think many people are divided. Some might have seen the unusual combination of bacon and chocolate before in fancy restaurants or among foodie circles. But more commonly, I think most people think the idea of bacon and chocolate together sounds disgusting. You are not alone, but you might want to give it a fair chance.

My friend M- is very conservative about food. Once, when I was just starting to bake, I brought a cake with me to a friend’s house. We had cut the cake, transferred the slices to plates, and passed around the forks. My friends had the first bite halfway to their mouths when M- casually asked, “So what is this exactly?”

I answered truthfully and replied, “It’s a chocolate cake with a chocolate-sour cream frosting.” I looked up and saw that M- had put his fork right back down onto the plate, and my other friends followed his lead. “Sour cream?” He just couldn’t wrap his mind around sour cream in dessert, despite my protests, and not a single bite of the cake was even tried. Frustrated, I had to transfer all the slices back to the cake carrier and bring the untouched cake home.

The following day, I made a sour cream banana pound cake with sour cream frosting and brought it to my friends. With an entire cup of sour cream in the cake alone, they were truly about to eat their words. When the cake was fully consumed, M- having had his second slice, I told them the truth. Sour cream is delicious, and you’d like it if you gave it a chance.

After I made these brownies, M- happened to stop by. Since I began baking he’s become more adventurous, and he agreed to try one of the brownies even though he was repulsed by the combination of bacon and chocolate. He accepted the piece, examined it carefully, and then took a small bite. He proclaimed it “pretty good.”

Chocolate and bacon actually make a natural combination. The brownies are dense and fudgy, and the crumbled bits of bacon add a bit of texture and a hint of smokiness. In the same way that coffee provides a solid foundation for chocolate, bacon adds something special and elevates a simple brownie to something more.

And I can’t help but think that if maybe everyone gave Bacon Brownies a chance, we could all stand together on something, despite our differences. Bacon and chocolate = world peace.

I made these brownies for my dad, who couldn’t get a bacon brownie he’d eaten once before out of his mind. I did a bit of research, trying to figure out the best way to combine the two ingredients, and found that a very loyal and enthusiastic fan base for bacon exists.

While I don’t think I’m passionate enough to go to Bacon Camp yet, I’ll admit this embarrassing tidbit. As I was cooking the bacon for these brownies, I started singing “True Colors” under my breath. Without even realizing it, I was changing the lyrics.

And I see your true bacon
Shining through
I see your true bacon
And that’s why I love you…!

My dad heard, and he couldn’t stop laughing. Such is the power of bacon.

Bacon Brownies
Adapted from The Hungry Engineer
Makes a 9″x9″ pan of thin, delicious brownies

4 oz unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
4 oz (8 tablespoons) butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
4 1/2 oz flour (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons natural cocoa (not Dutch-processed)
4 strips bacon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9″x9″ pan and set in parchment paper, letting the two ends hang over the edge. This makes a “sling” that will make lifting the brownies out of the pan very easy. Grease the parchment.

Heat a large pan over medium heat. When hot, lay in the strips of bacon. You want them to be crispy. Let them cook on each side until sufficiently cooked, then transfer to a plate with several layers of paper towel. Once cool, cut or rip the bacon into bits. I found that bits the size of your fingernail were best.

Place the chopped chocolate and the butter in a metal bowl, and set it over a pan of gently simmering water. Stir the mixture until the smooth and the chocolate has melted completely. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly, then whisk in the sugar, salt, and vanilla. Then add in the eggs, one at a time, stirring until smooth.

Sift in the flour and cocoa, and whisk to combine. Stir in the bacon bits.

Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake brownies 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the brownies cool in the pan for a few minutes, then use the parchment sling to lift the brownies out of the pan. Transfer them to a wire rack and let cool completely before cutting into bars.

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Maybe it’s like this. There’s cream cheese, yeah? It’s tangy and dominant. It likes to ripple through everything. Cause hey. Cream cheese will make it taste better. Cream cheese is good for you. Cream cheese demands to get its way. (It’s the US, okay?)

Then there’s the chili powder. You don’t really notice how much ammunition it’s got until you take the first bite. Then you feel it, in the back of your mouth. It’s got a bit of heat, and it wants to be there. (Clearly the USSR!)

And the nutella. You’re not entirely sure what it’s doing there. It’s a bit of a surprise, a shock. You don’t want to underestimate it, and yet, you can’t help wonder what business nutella has in your brownie. (Obviously Cuba.)

And it’s like… They’re all together, on the playing field. (Brownie = earth.) They’re marbled together, but can’t possibly mix. In your mouth, you can’t decide which flavor wins. It’s too much wonderfulness to handle.

Alternatively, maybe it’s because, as my friend G- put it, they’re bomb. !!! I know. Not funny. Sorry.

…Orrrrrrr, maybe they’re Cold War Brownies because I (sort of) studied and baked at the same time. You decide.

No matter what, they’ll make a pack of exhausted, brain dead juniors smile again.

Yes, I confess. I came home from school, like I always do, already tired. This week I have a test every single day. Two tests on Thursday. Each test is at least two hours long. Today took three. We had to stay past the end of school, past the end of tutorial, writing 3 essays and answering short answers. About history (partly, the Cold War.) We write another 3 essays tomorrow.

Yesterday? Yesterday was English. Two hours of essay writing. I don’t ever want to analyze diction, syntax, or onomatopoeia ever again. (Until Thursday and next Monday, whoops!)

And the rest doesn’t get much better. Calculus on Thursday and Friday, US government, biology, and two days of French.

So who can blame me for coming home and not being in the mood to study? Besides, it didn’t take long to make these.

Jeez, I sound like a big complainer. Sorry. Despite everything, I’m happy. I know that testing will be done when May ends, and it won’t be the end of the world. When I’m done testing, it’ll be summer!

These brownies just sort of came together. Originally my break consisted of a slice of cinnamon bread and 15 minutes to check my favorite food blogs. I was browsing David Lebowitz’s archives and came across cheesecake brownies.

Oh, hello!

As I was making them, I got a bit of inspiration. I threw cinnamon and chili powder into the brownie batter and added cinnamon to the cream cheese too. Just as I was about to marble – what the heck – I added a few dollops of Nutella. Because my friends deserve it. ;)

These brownies are thick, chocolatey, and intense. They beg for milk. They were best straight out of the oven, all gooey and warm, or after a day in the fridge, when they became fudgy and the flavors more distinct. These brownies are comfort food, not that sophisticated. Some more refined tastes might argue they were too sweet, or contained too many flavors. You could leave out the nutella in that case. But me, I needed these brownies. Exactly how they are.

Cold War Brownies
Adapted from David Lebowitz
Makes a 9″ pan

Brownie
6 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 oz bittersweet chocolate
Rounded 1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup flour
1 tbsp Dutch-processed cocoa powder
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Topping
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 large egg yolk
5 tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp cinnamon

4 tbsp Nutella

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×9″ pan with foil, allowing it to hang over the edges. Lightly grease.

In a saucepan, melt the butter and bittersweet chocolate together. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar, then the eggs. Add the flour, cocoa, chili powder, cinnamon, and salt and mix in. Finally, stir in the vanilla and chocolate chips. Spread the mixture into the prepared pan.

In a mixer, beat together the cream cheese, egg yolk, sugar, and cinnamon. Drop dollops of the cream cheese mixture on top of the brownies. Drop dollops of nutella, too. Use a dull knife to swirl the whole thing. (Alternatively, mix the nutella into half of the cream cheese mixture and swirl. Or leave the nutella out.)

Bake 35 minutes, or until just set. Let cool completely before lifting out and cutting into bars. Store in the fridge.

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I think I’ve probably tried a hundred brownie recipes. Every kind of chocolate, different spices, fudgey and cakey and everything inbetween. But seriously, I’d never tried any brownies like these ones before. Sometimes a recipe sounds so intriguing that you have to try it, even if it means a trip to the grocery store. These brownies are soft, rich, creamy, and fudge-like with the occasional walnut. Any idea what’s in them?

They’re black beans! I know! Delicious in burritos and salsa. Not so much in brownies. When I first read the recipe I was really turned off by the idea of black bean mixed with chocolate. Then I thought about how I always roll my eyes when I see someone grossed out by the idea of pumpkin mixed into brownies. I figured these brownies were definitely worth a shot. The recipe is from Ania Catalano’s Baking with Agave Nectar: Over 100 Recipes Using Nature’s Ultimate Sweetener and it is surprisingly good. I did get a hint of the beans, but it wasn’t unpleasant. My mom didn’t taste anything at all, and she liked these better than my usual brownies.

Black Bean Brownies

4 oz baker’s (unsweetened) chocolate
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups soft cooked or canned black beans, well drained
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup natural coffee substitute or instant coffee
1/4 tsp salt
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups light agave nectar or honey

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line an 11×18 inch rimmed baking pan with parchment paper and lightly grease.

In a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate and butter on high for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Stir with a spoon to melt the chocolate completely.

Process the beans, 1/2 cup walnuts, vanilla extract, and several spoonfuls of the chocolate in a food processor for 2 minutes, or until the batter is thick and smooth.

In a large bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 cup walnuts, remaining melted chocolate mixture, coffee substitute, and salt. Mix well and set aside.

With an electric mixer, beat the eggs for about 1 minute until lightened and creamy. Add the agave nectar and beat until well combined.

Stir the bean-chocolate and chocolate-walnut mixtures together. Add all of the egg mixture except 1/2 cup, combine, and then pour into the pan.

Beat the last 1/2 cup egg-agave mixture until light and fluffy, then pour over batter in pan. Swirl with a toothpick. Bake brownies for 30-40 minutes until they’ve set. Brownies will be very soft after baking. Cool completely and refrigerate before cutting into bars.

Makes 45 2″ brownies.