Brown Butter Cereal Bars with Candied Bacon

Happy International Bacon Day! Yes, that is a real thing, and to celebrate, we’re going to hop into the time machine and go waaayyyy back to 2010 to an event called The Bacon Takedown. I had a serious thing for bacon back then. I still do, but it’s mostly under control now.

Matt Timms, is a quirky and fun guy from Brooklyn, NY. He travels around the country hosting recipe contests that he lovingly calls Takedowns. The contests range in theme from Bacon to Mac and Cheese, Chili, Cookies or even Hot Dish. A bunch of people participate and make hundreds of samples of their creation to share with fanatics that are just plain crazy about food.

Matt was in Minneapolis back in 2010 and again in 2013 hosting a Bacon Takedown. My super supportive (and vegetarian) twin sister helped me make over 300 samples of my Brown Butter Cereal Bars with Candied Bacon. We served them up to a crowd of serious bacon lovers and won the first place people’s choice award! The prize? A year’s supply of bacon!

Brown Butter Cereal Bars with Candied Bacon

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Start to Finish: 1 hour 40 minutes

1 lb thick cut bacon slices
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter (no substitutions)
1 1/2 bags (10 oz each) marshmallows
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt
6 cups rice Chex cereal
6 cups corn Chex cereal

Heat the oven to 400°F. Line a broiler pan or 10×15 pan with parchment paper or foil. Place bacon on pan in single layer. Sprinkle with half of the brown sugar. Bake 9 to 11 minutes until the sugar is dissolved. Turn the bacon over, sprinkle with remaining brown sugar. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until bacon is crisp and sugar is melted. Set aside to cool, finely chop.

In a large saucepan or 5-quart dutch oven, melt the butter on medium heat, stirring frequently until it turns golden brown and begins to smell nutty. Add in the marshmallows and stir until melted. Remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla, salt and finely chopped candied bacon until well incorporated. Gently stir in the cereals, until well coated.

Spoon mixture into 13×9-inch baking pan or glass baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Wet your hands slightly with water and firmly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Cut into small (1-inch) bite sized pieces. 

Makes: 24 Servings

Are you ready for the best part of going back in time? This silly video of me making the cereal bars! Hahaha such a dork!

A few other bacon links to round our your day…
Bacon Day from Royal Bacon Society
Bacon Recipes from Epic Meal Time
Grilled Bacon with Steak Sauce from Food Republic