Both sweet and savoury, this low carb maple bacon shortbread will have you coming back for more!
Have you noticed how bacon has become socially acceptable again? I don’t mean among the low carb set, where bacon has always been more than acceptable, but with the general public. And it’s more than just acceptable, it’s actually wildly trendy. Bacon is everywhere. Once relegated to diners and greasy breakfast joints, bacon is now found in the nicest restaurants in all manners of dishes. It’s haute cuisine and it doesn’t even need to go by fancier foreign names to hide its lowly origins. It’s on t-shirts and ecards and the front cover of cookbooks. Suddenly, it’s cool to love bacon again.
And people are experimenting with bacon in their home-cooking a little more too. It’s no longer just an accompaniment for eggs, it’s allowed to take center stage and be the star of the meal. And it’s popping up in all sorts of sweets, from cookies to candy and even to cocktails. Since I have never stopped loving bacon, even when I thought it was bad for me, this is a heartening turn of events. The bacon-love abounds and I am more than happy to ride the wave of salty, smoky, fatty goodness.
Given this growing trend, it’s not surprising that there are whole sites devoted to bacon, from blogs to online purveyors. One such site contacted me recently to ask if we could strike up a little partnership. With a name like BaconFreak.com, I had to check them out. As far as I can tell, they have every type of bacon imaginable, plus all sorts of other bacon goodies and bacon-themed novelty items as well. It’s a bacon lover’s paradise. I also got a kick out of Rocco, the owner, because he may love bacon more than anyone, and who can deny such a passion? After hearing of my husband’s accident, he offered to send my some bacon because “bacon cures” (his words!).
So I agreed to do a little recipe creation for them and let my readers know about their site. Given how much I love bacon, it’s surprising there aren’t more bacon recipes here on All Day I Dream About Food. I am more than happy to correct my oversight. I decided to experiment a little myself and make some sweet bacon treats. The inspiration came from my friend Carrie over at Bakeaholic Mama, who put bacon fat in the shortbread crust of her pumpkin bars. I loved the idea so much, I decided to just go for a low carb shortbread made with bacon grease and bacon bits. After all, why waste all that lovely bacon grease?
These were very good but not quite what you’d expect. My husband loved them and I did too, except I couldn’t decide whether they were a sweet or a savory shortbread. They were somewhere in between and we found that they were less like dessert and more like a little breakfast treat, so we ate them with our morning coffee. They were especially good spread with a little peanut butter (in the interest of full disclosure, I have a slight obsession with bacon and peanut butter together). If you decide you want to make these but aren’t quite ready for the full bacon-grease experience, you can substitute butter.
Click here to check out BaconFreak.com for all your bacon needs!
Maple Bacon Shortbread – Low Carb and Gluten-Free
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon
- 1 ¾ cup almond flour
- ½ cup Swerve Sweetener or other granulated erythritol
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoon bacon fat chilled OR 6 tablespoon chilled butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 teaspoon gluten-free maple extract
Instructions
- Cook bacon until crisp, then drain on a paper towel-lined plate and chop into small pieces.
- Preheat oven to 325F.
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine almond flour, sweetener, xanthan gum and salt. Pulse a few times to combine.
- Add bacon fat or butter and maple extract to the processor and pulse until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in bacon bits.
- Press mixture evenly and firmly into the bottom of a 9-inch glass or ceramic tart pan. Use a sharp knife to score into 16 wedges.
- Bake 18 minutes, then turn off the oven and prop the door open with the handle of a wooden spoon. Let sit another 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool completely before cutting along score lines to remove from pan.
Notes
Disclosure: All Day I Dream About Food is an affiliate of BaconFreak.com. Although they did not compensate me for this post, any sales made through the links above will generate a small amount of commission.
Michelle says
Just made these and they are fantastic! What’s the best way to store them?
Carolyn says
On the counter for a few days.
Natasha says
Hey there! First time visitor your site. I’m thinking of this as an app for the alpha males at Thanksgiving too. But first – 2 questions:
1. Is there a substitute for the xanthan gum? I am sure I won’t be able to find it, especially as I have never seen it used in any other recipes to date. Arrowroot starch maybe?
2. How can the shortbread be modified to use REAL maple syrup instead of a flavoring?
Thanks
Carolyn says
Yes, you could probably sub arrowroot starch. As for real maple syrup, it’s going to add moisture so I’d do about 1/3 cup and then perhaps another tbsp or two of arrowroot to help offset the liquid from the maple syrup.
Susan Pelter says
I made these and they are truly fantastic! Honestly, I can’t imagine that anyone not in the know would have the slightest idea they are gf or sugar free or low-carb; they have the most luxurious taste and texture! I used Boyajian’s maple flavor and added a few drops of stevia glycerite as my bacon seemed extra salty. Also, I initially measured the bacon fat incorrectly (I had measured it hot) and ended up with only 4 Tblsp., so I used 2 Tbsp. butter to make up the full amount. My DH loves them, too!
Marron says
How exactly did you come up with your nutritional stats? 6 tbsp of bacon grease has 702 kcal and 72g of fat. That’s 12g of fat per serving just from the bacon grease alone, not including any of the other fatty ingredients like almond flour or the bacon itself.
Carolyn says
Hi there. Your math is off. 72 g of fat divided by 16 servings is 4.5 g per serving, not 12 g. You seem to be dividing by 6, not 16 servings. I think maybe you are getting confused by 6 tablespoons of the fat??? For future reference, I use software called Master Cook. It has a huge list of ingredients and the ones it did not come with already I entered by hand all of the macro nutrients.
Abbie @ Needs Salt says
Ahhh this looks awesome! I love maple in pretty much anything – maple shortbread sounds pretty phenomenal.
Kim says
I do not get this bacon craze at all, probably because I don’t eat pork, and turkey bacon just doesn’t have the same appeal. In fact, if I’m being honest, the thought of bacon in a sweet makes me feel a little gaggy. However, I do think I will be making this (complete with real bacon!) for Thanksgiving, just to appease the men who will be present… and because, honestly, I’m still wondering if this “put bacon in every type of dish possible” thing is all an elaborate joke!
Sommer @ ASpicyPerspective says
Maple + Bacon is a combo made in heaven! These sound so delicious, Carolyn! Hope you and your family have a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Deanna Segrave-Daly says
I am dietitian who loves her bacon – there I said it. Love the idea of these (and peanut butter + bacon is a amazing combo for sure – Elvis was onto something!)
Carolyn says
I think people are slowly coming around to the idea that saturated fat isn’t bad for you. But that means more people trying to eat my bacon!
Kelly says
So, where does the “maple” fit in?
Carolyn says
There is maple extract in the recipe.
Vicki Bensinger says
Wow this sounds Delish! I’d like to have one of these with breakfast this morning. Great recipe. Everything tastes better with bacon.