Bacon Toffee

When you buy meat that's been raised locally and naturally (by which I mean not just horomone- and antibiotic-free, but fed and allowed to roam the outdoors as Mother Nature intended), you're virtually guaranteed superior flavor. And no cut tastes better for having been raised that way than bacon.

There's nothing wrong with bacon simply fried up for breakfast, mixed in with ground beef and pork for a meatloaf, or crumbled over a salad. But bacon's saltiness also lends itself well to an unusual sweet/savory dessert: bacon toffee.

If this sounds odd to you, don't worry, you're not the first to raise their eyebrows at the suggestion. But one taste of this simple and decadent treat will have you begging for more. It's chewy, crunchy, salty, sweet, and incredibly addictive. Do try this at home!

Bacon Toffee
Ingredients
1/2 lb bacon
1 stick butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
salt
Instructions
Cook the bacon in a skillet. Let it cool on paper towels to remove the excess grease, then chop it into bits. The pieces should be about the size of a fingertip. Set aside.
Put the water, butter, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir constantly until the water has boiled off (the mixture will get very bubbly/frothy first) and the mixture turns a deep golden tan color (see photo of toffee to get a sense of the color).
Remove from heat, stir in bacon bits, and quickly spread toffee on a silpat or well-oiled baking sheet.
Let cool, then break toffee into pieces by covering it with plastic wrap and pounding it with a knife handle or hammer.
Toffee stores in refrigerator indefinitely.