These aren't your average chocolate chip cookies. These Bacon Grease Chocolate Chip Cookies are smoky, crisp on the outside, and chewy on the inside, filled with a strong, dark chocolate flavor that's balanced with just the right amount of sugar. They're grown up, and they need to be tried.
Next time you're making breakfast on the weekend and frying up some bacon, don't throw away that bacon grease. Pour it into a jar and use it to make these cookies instead. And if you make these cookies before the breakfast and are unsure what to do with your bacon, this Bacon and Cheese Muffin recipe is a delicious option.
If you love trying out new cookie recipes, you'll want to try these Chunky Milk Chocolate Cookies or this recipe for Hazelnut and Chocolate Cookies.
Ingredients
To make these delicious bacon grease dark chocolate chip cookies, you will need the simple ingredients listed below. Remember always to use fresh room temperature ingredients when baking.
- Unsalted butter
- Bacon grease
- White sugar
- Brown sugar
- Extra-large egg
- Pure vanilla extract
- Cake flour
- Sea salt
- Baking soda
- Dark chocolate
Unsalted butter - use melted unsalted butter for this recipe.
Bacon grease - Fry up a batch of bacon and save the bacon grease to make these cookies. If you'd like to skip this ingredient, add more melted butter instead. For this recipe the bacon grease must be melted when added.
Sugar - This recipe uses a combination of white granulated sugar and demerara sugar.
Cake flour - Choose cake flour or all-purpose flour for this recipe.
Dark chocolate - I used roughly chopped Lindt 75% dark chocolate for this recipe. I recommend doing the same rather than using dark chocolate chips.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
To make these easy cookies, follow the simple steps below.
STEP 1: Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 200°C (350°F) and line two large baking trays with parchment paper.
STEP 2: Combine butter and sugars. To a large mixing bowl, add the melted bacon grease, melted butter, and both sugars. Stir together using a wooden spoon.
STEP 3: Add egg and vanilla. Add the egg and vanilla to the mixture and mix again until well combined.
STEP 4: Sift dry ingredients. In a bowl, sift together the baking soda, salt, and flour. Add the flour mixture to the cookie dough batter and mix with a wooden spoon until a homogeneous dough forms.
STEP 5: Add chocolate chips. Add the roughly chopped dark chocolate to the dough. Mix through. Chill the dough in the fridge for 20 minutes.
STEP 5: Portion. Portion the dough into eight large cookies using an ice cream scoop. Place the cookies onto parchment-lined baking sheets, giving generous spacing between the dough balls.
STEP 6: Bake. Bake one tray of cookies at a time in the center of the oven for about 8 minutes, or until the cookies are a light golden brown, their edges are crisp, and they have spread slightly. Remove the cookies from the oven, sprinkle them with a bit of extra sea salt, and allow the baked cookies to cool on a wire rack. Serve and enjoy!
Hint: Cookies hardly ever bake round on their own, so to get that perfect round shape, use a small bowl or chef's ring to help shape the cookies. Place the bowl or ring over the cookie as soon as it comes out of the oven and create a circular motion around the cookie to reshape it into a circle.
Variations
These cookies celebrate the flavour of dark chocolate. If you're a lover of the sweeter side of life, you can add milk chocolate chips or chunks to this recipe for extra sweetness.
Equipment
You don't need any fancy equipment to make this cookie recipe, just a mixing bowl and a wooden spoon. You will also need large baking trays, a wire rack, and a small bowl or chef's ring to shape the cookies after baking.
Storage
These cookies are best eaten soon after baking, once they have cooled slightly. This is when they are fresh and crisp with molten chocolate chips!
If you have any leftover cookies, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for about a week. If the cookies have softened, crisp them up in an air fryer or the oven for a few minutes.
You can choose to freeze the cookie dough before or after baking the cookies. To do this, first portion out the cookies, then wrap each portion in plastic wrap or place them in a resealable freezer bag and freeze them for up to three months. For raw cookies, bring the dough to room temperature before baking.
Top Tips
For the perfect soft chocolate chip cookies, follow my top tips below
- Use room temperature ingredients.
- Choose quality chocolate chips and chocolate bars for the best-tasting cookies.
- Check the actual temperature of your oven with an oven thermometer.
FAQ
The eggs I use weigh 56 grams. If you aren't sure if you have the same eggs, weigh the eggs you have and adjust accordingly.
I always recommend using a kitchen scale rather than cups when baking. This way, you can ensure you've measured correctly and that your baked goodies come out perfectly.
You want to bake these cookies in a hot oven for a short period. This way they will crisp on the outside while remaining gooey on the inside. Bake four cookies at a time, and make sure you use an oven thermometer to test the actual oven temperature. If the oven is too hot, the cookies will burn on the bottom. Adjust the temperature and baking time for the second batch as needed.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
This is the recipe that turned me into a cookie addict. It took a while, but I finally see what all of the fuss is about. Serve these cookies with a cup of tea or strong coffee, or turn them into a dessert of their own by serving them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
If you give this recipe a go, please leave a comment and star rating below. I would love to know what you thought of this recipe.
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Happy Baking
With Love,
Kitty
📖 Recipe
Bacon Grease Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
- 2x large baking sheets
Ingredients
- 40 g bacon grease
- 75 g unsalted butter
- 50 g white sugar
- 100 g demarera sugar
- 1 egg extra large
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 150 g cake flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 150 g dark chocolate chunks
- sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (350°F) and line two large baking trays with parchment paper.
- To a large mixing bowl, add the melted bacon grease, melted butter, and both sugars. Stir together using a wooden spoon.
- Add the egg and vanilla to the mixture and mix again until well combined.
- In a bowl, sift together the baking soda, salt, and flour. Add the flour mixture to the cookie dough batter and mix with a wooden spoon until a homogeneous dough forms.
- Add the roughly chopped dark chocolate to the dough. Mix through. Chill the dough in the fridge for 20 minutes.
- Portion the dough into eight large cookies using an ice cream scoop. Place the cookies onto parchment-lined baking sheets, giving generous spacing between the dough balls.
- Bake one tray of cookies at a time in the center of the oven for about 8 minutes, or until the cookies are a light golden brown, their edges are crisp, and they have spread slightly. Remove the cookies from the oven, sprinkle them with a bit of extra sea salt, and allow the baked cookies to cool on a wire rack. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- For pools of chocolate in your cookies, use roughly chopped chocolate bars instead of chocolate chips.
- Test the temperature of your oven before baking, if it is too hot, the cookies will burn on the bottom.
- Use a small bowl or chef's ring to perfect the shape of your cookies after baking.
Irena says
I never knew my chocolate chip cookies were missing bacon fat! These are so good and such a cool way to use up something that usually gets tossed!
Jared says
These cookies are seriously addictive! I need to make them again asap!