Today I ate bacon candy. Bacon brittle to be precise. One of my foodie office mates brought it in as a St Patrick's day treat. Some treat! The texture was brittle-like: sugary, crunchy, enjoyable. The flavor was, well, bacon-like. All that was missing was the eggs-over-easy, potatoes and coffee. If you're a bacon lover, go for it. Here's a recipe. Now bring on the mouthwash.

MAKES ABOUT 1 POUND

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup (about 2 ounces) chopped pecans

1/3 to 1/2 cup cooked bacon bits (6 to 8 ounces uncooked bacon)

Grease or butter a large nonstick baking sheet.

In a medium heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup and water over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves and the syrup comes to a boil. Attach a candy thermometer to the pan, increase the heat to high, and cook, without stirring, until the mixture reaches 290 degrees. Immediately remove from the heat.

Stir in the butter, vanilla, baking soda, pecans and bacon bits. Watch out, the mixture will foam. When the foam subsides, pour the hot mixture onto the prepared baking sheet as thinly as possible. Do not use a spatula.

Cool at least 10 minutes before breaking into pieces. Store in a covered container.

Nutrition facts per serving: 233 calories, 7 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 7 mg cholesterol, 41 g carbohydrates, 2 g protein, 327 mg sodium, 0 g fiber

From Everything Tastes Better With Bacon