Bacon Fat Cookies Belong On Your Next Charcuterie Board

You've carefully assembled cured sausages and regional cheeses for the charcuterie board you're planning to serve at tonight's party. You've thought about providing the perfect compilation of textures and tastes, offering smooth cheeses with crunchy crackers, an assortment of nuts, and pops of sweetness with fruit and jams. Now, we're here to make the case for including baked goods into your spread — specifically, biscuits and cookies that have been made with bacon fat.

Hear us out. Unless you're catering to vegan and vegetarian guests, cookies and biscuits made with bacon drippings can help take your charcuterie boards to the next level, and guests will be reaching for every last crumb you've set out on display. Before placing plates and slabs onto countertops for guests to help themselves, consider putting in the extra effort to include specially-made treats. Your hosting skills will prompt satisfied nods from guests determined to discover your culinary secret: bacon.

From serving peanut butter and bacon to topping popcorn with bacon bits, bacon has made its way into a variety of dishes and food presentations — why not your charcuterie board? When paired with decadent cheeses and luxurious butters, your guests are in for a treat.

Using bacon drippings in baking recipes brings an unexpected taste of that salty, meaty flavor that is difficult to replicate. Crackers made with bacon fat pair well with creamy goat cheeses and soft bries, and bacon cookies paired with a fruit spread deliver a salty-sweet taste that will have everyone at the party reaching for more. For sweeter servings, the salty, unmistakeable flavor of bacon can add extra flavor to traditional chocolate chip cookies and scones. 

If you want to carry the bacon theme into beverages you serve along side the charcuterie board, bacon-infused bourbon can round out your sumptuous spread and delight guests grabbing second servings of the cookies you've made with the unique extra ingredient.