Bacon Bourbon Pecan Bar

Disclaimer:  I am not a big fan of eating chocolate.  I love making it, but eating it, well I am ambivalant.  When I'm developing a new filling or bar,  I taste to make sure the flavor is what I am going for.  When I hit that spot, I record the recipe, and that's it.  I am not sneaking samples.  I mean, there are only so many calories in a day, right? 

But this bar - well I eat this bar.  And when I make it I package it up right away and hope that it sells out so I can't be tempted.

The Bacon Bourbon Pecan Bar started out as a search for flavors that would not just work well together, but really sing.  This bar delivers on that goal and more, a harmony of flavors that reveal themselves layer by layer to make a savory bar meant to be, well, savored.

Organic cacao nibs from Ecuador were soaked in bacon flavored bourbon for days, as were organic pecans.  Then the nibs were slow roasted for hours and ground into a dark chocolate.  The pecans were likewise roasted in butter and maple syrup.  And the leftover soaking bourbon?  That got used to make a maple syrup brittle that was added back into the ground chocolate.  Put some of the pecans on the back of the bar, and this bar was so many things:  savory, sweet, salty, smoky, and layers and layers of depth in flavor.

Our first small batch sold out in 8 hours.  So thank you for eliminating my temptation!  We will make it again.