Candied Bacon

If you ask any of my friends how I feel about bacon, they will tell you I have an obsession. I was at dinner with two of my old roommates and my parents on Friday celebrating my graduation and bacon came up. I think the phrase "if there was a bacon perfume, Megan would wear it" came up. It's that bad. But seriously people, bacon is magical. You can add it to anything, I mean anything, to make it taste better... mac and cheese, pancakes, cookies, cupcakes, you name it. Do you want to know what makes bacon more magical? Adding brown sugar and some spices. Candied bacon is such a sweet and salty treat that it is bound to be a hit at any party. My older sister and my mom make it all the time for parties and it's usually the first thing to go. If you have never tried candied bacon I urge you to try it... and I apologize if you have found yourself a new addiction.

Ingredients:

1 lb. sliced bacon

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp cloves

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

Place the rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 400F. Set aside a wire rack with a paper towel under it. We will be using this to cool the bacon and you will want the paper towel to catch any drippings. Then, cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lay out the bacon strips. In a mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar, cayenne pepper, cloves, and ground cinnamon. Add more or less spice depending on how much of a kick you want to give it. Mix the sugar mixture until no more brown sugar clumps remain. Spread the sugar mixture evenly over the bacon strips. Put in the oven to cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until your desired liking. Cool for 1-2 minutes on the pan to let the sugars solidify. Then finish cooling on the wire rack. When the bacon has cooled cut into 1 inch pieces and serve immediately. Refrigerate any leftovers... if there are any!

Source: my lovely sister Amy