Maple candied bacon is the best food ever! It’s crispy, smoky, salty, bacon goodness covered in a crispy and sweet layer of candied maple syrup! What a magical combination of sweet and savoury!
One of my fondest childhood memories is of camping with my dad in boy scouts and for breakfast we often made pancakes and maple syrup with a side of bacon. Quite by accident I discovered that if you pour maple syrup over the bacon as it’s cooking you ended up with a sweet and salty maple-y bacon that was so amazing that it never made it to the plate, I would devour it right from the pan, licking my fingers as I cooked! Yum!
This is the grown up version that is a little less messy to cook and once it’s made you have tasty maple candied bacon treats to snack on whenever you want! That package of bacon you just bought will never make it to the breakfast table again!
I make this maple candied bacon all the time and I enjoy making it to give away as gifts over the holidays! I mean nothing says It’s a Closet Cooking Holiday like maple candied bacon (or maple bacon jam)
This candied bacon is so easy to make! You bake the bacon in the oven, basting it with maple syrup and brown sugar, and as it cooks the bacon gets all nice and crispy and good and the maple syrup and brown sugar melts and caramelizes forming a candied coating around the bacon! The hardest part about making this maple candied bacon will be resisting eating the entire batch just after you pull it out of the oven. My precioussss…
If you are able to resist eating it all right away, store it in a sealed container for up to a week.
Sweet and salty!
Nice and crispy!
Use smoked bacon for smoked candied bacon and smoky goodness!
Candied bacon is also known as pig candy
Add a pinch of smoked paprika!
Maple Candied Bacon
Crispy maple and brown sugar candied bacon that is the perfect combination of sweet and salty!
ingredients
- 1 pound thick cut bacon
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
directions
- Place the bacon on a wire rack on a foil lined baking pan, brush the top of the bacon with maple syrup and sprinkle on some brown sugar.
- Bake in a preheated 400F/200C oven for 15 minutes, flip the bacon, brush with maple syrup and sprinkle on the brown sugar and bake for another 15 minutes or until it reaches the desired level of crispiness.
Option: Replace the maple syrup with honey for honey candied bacon!
My boys would love this! Merry Christmas!
Best gift ever! Seriously, who wouldn't love this?!
Sues
This looks so good! Candied bacon is a favorite in my home, so it would never make it out of the house for gifting.
this looks so good I just made my hubby come look at the picture. I think this has to go on our Xmas morning line up!
Josh will go wild for these!
Maybe a little sriracha whisked with the maple. Just a bit 🙂
daddypedro: Yes!! I like to sprinkle a little cayenne on it but sriracha is also a great idea!
Stupid question – is this too sticky messy to work as a road trip survival kit?
materra: If you cook the bacon until it's crispy the maple syrup and sugar will caramelize and harden rather than remain wet and sticky. Enjoy!
Omg, I would seriously not be able to stop myself if I had an entire batch of these!! They would be so versatile to top on everything, too!
Julie Wampler: It is great on top of other things! I have been using it in turkey sandwiches!
I don't have a wire rack. Can I cook it directly on the pan?
The wire rack lets “air” circulate around the bacon better and does a better job of crisping the bacon so I would definitely recommend it.
Roll up long strips of foil and lay them across a sheet pan. Lay the bacon to make a grid. The rolls only have to be big enough to keep the bacon off the pan. The foil does not have to be tight rolls.
I just made this for the first time. It's going in the "keep" pile for sure! Truly delicious. Thank you!
Lisa
How long will these keep?
It looks pretty tasty Kevin. I've made this before, but never ahead of time. Could I make it the night before to take to work in the morning? If so, would it be better kept at room temp or refrigerated?
Best wishes, Sher
Unknown: You can make it ahead of time and store it in the fridge for a couple of days! Enjoy!
I want to make this for a birthday party. Can I make this the night before? How do I store it? Will it still be good if not hot at the party?
Christin Romei: You can make it a day ahead and store it in the fridge overnight. It's great right, from the fridge, room temperature or warmed a bit. Enjoy1
I love it!
This will go great with my peanut butter fudge mmmmmmmmmmmmm can taste em now
Big hit at our Christmas tree day party. Everyone raved. Thanks!
I keep burning mine. Thinking the timing is too long on this rec
Agreed! 30 minutes at 400 degrees sure to burn. I was sad when mine was ruined. It was awful to clean from the wire rack at that point. 🙁
I'm using this for office gifts this year. Using a 8 oz mason jar decorated with ribbon and a bell and putting 8 (half size) pcs of bacon in each jar. Thanks for the recipe!
My first batch is in the oven.Testing it for a Christmas gift. I get to try it first. I can't wait!
Christin Romei: Remove the bacon from the oven when it is crispy and before it starts to burn. The bake time will vary depending on the bacon so keep an eye on it near the end.
Cathy: What a great way to gift it!
Sylvia Tibbs: Enjoy!
I'm assuming this has to stay refrigerated?
so i also wondered about cooking/timing…when i do bacon in the oven, it seems to take forever (yes, at 400°f)…worried about the sugar/syrup burning…can i cook the bacon a little bit first, then brush w/coating? guess i should just experiment. thx!
2cairnterriers: The sugar that drips to the bottom of the pan sometimes starts to burn but the sugar on the bacon does not burn before the bacon gets crispy. (I like to line the baking pan with foil for easier cleanup because of this!) Yes, you can cook the bacon a bit first and then add the sugar! Enjoy!
Mystic Angel: That is correct!
What about a toaster oven? I find it cooks faster than normal ovens and really do not want to burn it. :c
Sumi: I have not tried in a toaster oven; I would keep an eye on it and it it looks like it is going to burn, loosely place some foil on top to prevent it from burning. Enjoy!
This was the best thing I have ever tasted!! We burned our mouths causes we could not wait long enough for it to cool all the way. Only thing I have to say is really watch it closely during the last 15 mins of cooking cause it goes from crispy perfection to a burnt mess really quickly. Also I found out you cannot crowd the bacon on the pan if pieces over lap they don't cook all they way.
I LOVE this recipe. I changed things up this year for Valentine's Day and made my boyfriend a bouquet of bacon roses using this recipe. It was a huge hit!! I'm also planning on using this recipe for some candied bacon chocolate chip cookies ��
How do you make “bacon roses”? I would love to see a photo of that.
Is it pure maple syrup you use?
Unknown: Yes, pure maple syrup.
Followed your recipe to a tee. Had to add a little time to try to achieve crispness as pictured. Never got that. Enjoyed and all eaten at brunch that it was cooked and served for. It smoked up my kitchen something terrible from the maple syrup that dripped onto the foil lined pan.
I think next time I will just buy maple flavored bacon and call it a day.
Any tips for not getting the bacon to stick to the wire rack? Mine always likes to be stubborn
I started with a non stick pan and I sprayed mine with Bakers Joy. Hope this helps 😉✌
we loved this one
If I had words, to make a day for you…
I thought you said it was good at room temp. maybe put in the fridge over night then can be left out on a buffet
Nitrate free bacon, organic maple syrup, organic brown sugar…sounds healthy enough to me LOL Yum
BLT gotta try it
If I make these ahead of time, how do you suggest I reheat it for serving?
Brian Coburn: I like it warmed up or at room temp! Enjoy!
OK, I made it, wrapped it in cello bags, now does it have to sore in the frig or counter top???
Hi Kevin,
Update on my attempt at making these. My bacon was suppose to be thick. How thick was the kind you used?
It wasn't thick and had to make two batches. What kind of bacon did you use? It was good but they didn't stand up like yours. Was afraid I would burn them. Was limpy. Any suggestions?
Unknown: Store it in the fridge.
This stuff is addictive. Good on EVERYTHING!
This may be dumb to ask but can you use turkey bacon?
I have not tried with turkey bacon; I will need to try it some time soon!
I just made this for cupcake toppers and it is wonderful! Only thing is you might want to check your nutritional info. One slice of bacon doesn’t have 47 grams of protein, lol. One strip of bacon is between 3 grams. Thnks for the recipe! I’ll be back. 🙂
4.7, not 47
I’m making this for appetizers before a delayed-Thanksgiving dinner! What do I put he bacon on when I take it out of the oven? Leave on the rack to cool or put on a dish or ??? Thank you! Can’t wait! 🥓
Leave them on the rack to cool; enjoy!
Can this be made 2-3 days in advance? If yes, what’s the best way to store it?
You can! Store it in the fridge.
This recipe sounds delicious! I know you answered the question several time “can it be made ahead”. Your response was server room temp or heated/warmed. How?!! Low oven?? I am afraid to overcook the bacon and burn the yumminess of the maple syrup and brown sugar. (plan to make with my husband’s house-made maple syrup from our trees!) Thank you!
How to best store so they don’t get moist…
I made them and am going to send for Christmas gifts…
Thanks!
15 minutes is wayyyyy too long for this cook time. I burnt everything to a blackened crisp and nothing was salvageable at all.
break into pieces and place one on top a deviled egg half. YUM
Delicious, I did sub out the black pepper for cayenne. Seemed the right thing to do . May add some smoked paprika next time too.
Do you think you could make this with pork belly strips or would it not crisp up enough?
I have not tried this with pork belly strips… I am now curious to see how it would work!
I’m not a fan of maple. I see you suggested honey. Have you made it with honey with same outcome?
Yes! Honey works well on this!
hey there, I’m not sure if you’ll get this in time but I’m making this for a party tonight super excited but I have to do it in three separate batches because I only have one wire rack and I’m doing 3 lb.. how far in advance can I make it party is at 7:00
This is best the fresher it is. You can make it a few hours ahead of time or a day ahead of time and store it in the fridge.
This recipe looks mouthwatering! My family is big on bacon, and I think this would be the perfect treat, snack, or breath this item. It also could go as a side dish for a meal. I’ll have to make this! I never made bacon in oven as it easier than frying that up on the skillet? Also do you have any tips for making your bacon straighter. Mine always curls up and I can never get the perfect slice. Thank you for this fantastic recipe and i hope you have a fantastic day!
This is SO good. I couldn’t stop snacking. I added a touch of cayenne for a little heat. It got gobbled up at the party.