Peanut Butter and Bacon Cookies

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One of the simple pleasures in life for me is peanut butter. I, personally, am a Jif guy, but if I'm trying to be healthy, I'll choose Adam's. And, I usually go with crunchy. I practically grew up on peanut butter sandwiches. A good peanut butter sandwich was the one and only thing about the States I missed during our month in Vienna this past summer. Here's my list, and in no particular order, of favorite peanut butter sandwiches.

• Peanut butter with spun honey (Spun is better.)
  
• Peanut butter with red or purple jelly (Grape is first, and raspberry is a close second.)
  
• Peanut butter with dill pickle (I read about it in a book as a kid, tried it, and loved it.)
  
• Peanut butter with marshmallow cream (I've heard that back east it's called a fluffernutter.)
  
• Peanut butter with chocolate chips (milk chocolate, semi-sweet, dark, white chocolate, whatever)
  
• Peanut butter with potato chips (salty and crunchy)
  
• Peanut butter with banana (Elvis knew what he was doing.)
  

I think peanut butter just makes everything better. What's one of my favorite ingredients on pizza? Yep, you guessed it. And I'm not talking about peanut butter on one of those dessert pizza things. This is real pizza. All you do is spread a thin layer of peanut butter on your crust, add the sauce, sprinkle on cheese, put on toppings of your choice, and bake. Now, wipe that disgusted look off your face and go try it. It really is good!

Why am I writing about peanut butter? Well, recently I heard about someone making peanut butter and bacon cookies. Really? Peanut butter and bacon together? Two flavors that I love? In my opinion, pure genius! I had to give it a try. I took my favorite and extremely easy peanut butter cookie recipe and added diced cooked bacon. And, it worked! First, you taste the peanut butter. Then, you hit a chewy little piece of bacon. As you chew the bacon, both flavors combine into absolute yumminess.

Seriously, give this recipe a try. If you still can't get past the idea of meat in cookies, just leave the bacon out. This is still a great peanut butter cookie!


*Sidenote* I'm sure that some of you who know me are thinking, "Isn't Curtis a flexitarian and doesn't he avoid sugar?" Well yes, that's true. Sugar is only for special occasions, and I try to eat meat only sparingly. But once in a while, you come across a recipe like this, and you've got to give it a try.

The ones with chocolate–no bacon.

The ones without chocolate–with bacon.

Peanut Butter and Bacon Cookies
(If you can't handle it, just leave the bacon out. They're still great.)
 
Ingredients:

• 1 cup peanut butter (creamy, chunky, healthy, whatever)
  
• 1 cup sugar
  
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
  
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 6 pieces of cooked bacon, chopped into small pieces
  

Preheat oven to 325˚. In medium bowl, combine all ingredients. Shape dough into 1-in. balls. On ungreased baking sheepts, arrange cookies 2 inches apart. With fork, gently flatten each cookie and press crisscross patter into top.

Bake 8 minutes or until lightly browned and slightly puffed. Immediately top, if desired, with a few chocolate chips. Once chocolate melts, spread with a knife. On wire rack, cool completely before removing from baking sheets.