Bourbon Bacon Chocolate Fudge
There’s just something about putting booze in fudge that I like. It brings it to a whole other level like this Bourbon Bacon Chocolate Fudge. Yep, I said bourbon AND bacon. Have I piqued your interest yet? I had never tried bourbon till I made this fudge, so I took a swig while prepping the ingredients. It’s a mighty fine drink, I must say. It’s smoother than I though it would be. One of my neighbors lent me the bottle to make this recipe, but they may not get it back.
This fudge is so easy to put together. You just melt the chocolate and the condensed milk together, then add the bourbon and bacon. Sprinkle it with a little sea salt, then throw it in the fridge for about four hours and chop it up. Voila, done!
The flavors came together beautifully. The smooth taste of woodsy bourbon, the sweetness of the chocolate, and the saltiness of the bacon are a match made in heaven. This Bourbon Bacon Chocolate Fudge would make a great Father’s Day gift for the father(s) in your life.
And if you have a geeky father in your life, these cool gadgets from ThinkGeek would also make great gifts. ThinkGeek sent me this R2-D2 measuring cup set and light up Light Saber Chopsticks to review.
R2-D2 comes apart into different sized measuring cups and spoons. I used them to make this fudge. They come apart easily and I was able to put them back together no problem.
With these you won’t have to go looking for your measuring utensils, they are all together in one place. If you know a father that likes to cook or bake, these would make a neat gift.
The Light Saber chopsticks were a blast to use. I know mom and dad taught us not to play with our food, but come on, what’s a little light saber battle during dinner. My husband totally loved them. It’s a utensil, it’s a toy, it’s both! I am not a big Star Wars geek, but I am a child at heart who loves toys.
I need to go check out ThinkGeek to see what to buy my husband for Father’s Day. The have all sorts of gadgets for the kitchen, office, bath, pets, kids, etc. And they have different categories for TV shows, movies, and video games like Star Wars, Star Trek, Breaking Bad, Harry Potter, Doctor Who, Walking Dead, Hunger Games, Minecraft, Dungeons and Dragons, and Pac-Man to name a few. OMG, I just found bacon, whiskey, and coffee soaps. You seriously need to check this site out. It has a lot of great ideas for Father’s Day, graduation, and birthday gifts.
Bourbon Bacon Chocolate Fudge
by The Sweet Chick
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5-10 minutes
Keywords: no bake dessert bacon chocolate bourbon whiskey sweetened condensed milk Father’s Day fudge American
Ingredients (64 squares)
- 1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 bag (11.5 oz.) Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt (or less if desired)
- 2 tablespoons bourbon whiskey
- 3/4 cup chopped cooked bacon ( I used 12 slices)
optional
- 1/8-1/4 teaspoon sea salt to sprinkle on top
- colorful decorative sprinkles
Instructions
In medium saucepan over low heat, combine the condensed milk and the chocolate chips.
Heat and stir until all chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth.
Remove from heat, stir in the salt and the bourbon. Mix until until completely combined.
Then add the chopped bacon and stir until fully incorporated.
Then spread the mixture evenly into a parchment paper (or wax paper) lined 8″ x 8″ pan or glass dish. Sprinkle with additional sea salt and/or decorative sprinkles if desired.
Place the container in the fridge and chill until set (about 4 hours).
When set, remove from the fridge, slice, and serve. (I find it easier to lift the fudge out of the pan and cut it on a cutting board.) Enjoy!
Disclaimer: ThinkGeek did provide me with some of the products used during the making of this recipe, but I was under no obligation to develop a recipe for them nor provide a favorable review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This recipe may be shared at these fabulous parties.
Tomato Soup
Yesterday, I was working at Starbucks (Freelancers Central) when a lady standing by the doors tipped over into a drug-induced trance.
The baristas immediately called 9-1-1, but the woman sitting next to me, the one who’d seen the whole incident go down because she’d been standing outside making a phone call when it happened, just shook her head and informed me that the lady was ‘as high as a kite.’
Now that’s a feeling I can relate to. That world-weariness. After all, I had gone to school in the most psychedelic college town in the country (Berkeley), and lived in what is probably the most homeless-friendly big city in the WORLD (San Francisco). I’ve seen it all—so what if I’m only 26?—all the different variations of drug-induced catatonia and rants and everything in between.
This old man with white hair, he’s a regular who just hangs out in the cafe all day chatting with other regulars (except me, because I avoid eye contact with strangers, much in the style of Amelie Poulain), leapt up from his seat and raced outside, wanting to take charge of the situation. He reminded me of one of those alert guard dogs, the kind that’s been bred to inspect signs of disorder, and cleared aside the small crowd that had gathered around the woman to get a closer look.
He re-entered the cafe a few minutes later. “She’s on drugs,” he said disgustedly.
A few minutes later, the lady dizzily pushed herself up and teetered away. “She’s only on drugs,” Mr. Regular repeated, shaking his head.
This was when the firemen rushed onto the scene. They pulled up in their shiny truck with their sirens blaring, and parked gracefully into the empty space in front of the building that just happened to be big enough for one regular-sized fire truck.
“Did they need to bring so many men?” the woman beside me asked. Sure enough, five firemen stepped out, clad in their heavy protective gear. Men who meant business. Men who looked like they were ready to put out a fire.
“She doesn’t need firemen,” said Regular Man. “She needs to be slapped in the face and drenched with tomato soup!”
Tomato soup, now that’s an idea.
Did he mean what he said sadistically? Was he implying that the lady should be burned with a hot, acidic liquid as a sort of punishment? Or maybe he thought it would revivify her, the equivalent of pushing her into a molten pool. Or maybe he just wanted tomato soup for dinner and had made a Freudian slip.
Whatever the case, guessing does not change the fact: these are the kinds of moments that can inspire meals. I’m very easily persuaded, and I happen to really like tomato soup.
This recipe is one I’ve been making since my student days, so you can be sure that it’s low-maintenance. And it came in handy during my time in San Francisco, a city whose 365-days-per-year fog and gloom is enough to drive a person mad. You see, you need a soup as heartening as this to keep your spirits up, lest you succumb to drastic measures. Like quitting your job and chasing summer in the Southern Hemisphere. Well, that latter part was unintentional.
I don’t remember how I came upon this recipe anymore. I copied it long ago into a little pocket notebook that I have on me at all times—we all have one of these, I suspect—and have been faithfully following the same set of directions for a long time. I’m sure its source is not as obscure as I make it seem, but I prefer to keep it a mystery, for the sake of having a “family recipe” that I can pass down for generations. Or not. I don’t think that far ahead. (But it would be cool nonetheless.)
TOMATO SOUP
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 28-ounce can of chopped tomatoes
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- salt & ground pepper to taste
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 2 small carrots, diced
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 cup chopped basil
- 1/4 cup cream or milk, optional
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Strain tomatoes, reserving the juices, and spread onto baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with about 1 Tbsp olive oil. Roast until caramelized, about 15 minutes.
In a saucepan, heat the rest of the oil on medium-low heat. Add celery, carrots, onion, and garlic. Cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the roasted tomatoes, reserved juices, chicken broth, and bay leaves. Simmer until vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Add basil and cream if using. Puree with an immersion blender.