Maple Bacon and Parmesan Cheese Shortbread Cookies

Maple Bacon and Parmesan Shortbread Cookies

This is sheer madness, I know.  But what was I supposed to do?  While I was trying to clean out the refrigerator (I have to do this once a year whether I want to or not) I found some of the most disgusting things.  It’s amazing what creepiness grows in those cold boxes.  Anyway…while I was tossing out one science experiment after another, I ran across some sticky bottles of jelly and syrups.  You know, the one’s you see in a store and think “oh how cool is this – I’ll definitely use this” only come face to face with reality and you’ve used it once and it has taken up permanent residence in the back corner of the refrigerator (because it’s stuck to the shelf by the same kind of sticky substance NASA uses to glue those space shuttle tiles on with).

After throwing out numerous bottles and jars, and putting a few back (I swear I’ll use them for something) I turned around and found that I had this sad little plastic bottle of pancake syrup still sitting on the counter.  I took this as a sign that I should cook something with it.  Plus it was really sticky and I didn’t feel like cleaning it up and putting it back in the refrigerator.

I could have made pancakes for dinner, Craig would have loved that, but I thought that would be too easy…too obvious.  I was kind of thinking about cookies.  But I was also thinking about bacon (because I was already braising some for another dish that you will be seeing very soon).  Then I was trying to come up with something to marry these two soul mates with and I came up with cheese.  Yeah, I didn’t get it either at the time but sometimes I just have to run with my weird thoughts.  And this time it worked for the better.

I have a serious weakness for shortbread, so that’s how I determined what type of cookie this was going to be.  But trust me, this cookie is really easy to make.  I will admit that it is a little confused in that it doesn’t know if it is a breakfast food, a dessert or something to be passed as an appetizer in between the cheese plate and the olives.  But I think that just gives you lots of options…and excuses to make these.

Words of Wisdom

Cleaning sucks!  But cleaning out the refrigerator is one of life’s little curses.  Unfortunately, it has to be done so here are a couple of ways to really make it work in your favor.

By the time you get done throwing everything out (because the expiration dates are long past due) you’ll see that you have nothing to eat so you can go out and buy all of those healthy foods you keep swearing you are going to start buying.

If you time the cleaning just right, you won’t have anything left in your refrigerator to cook for dinner, and no time to start anything even if there is something left in there.  So you both will have to go out to eat if you plan on being nourished for the evening.

Makes 24 Cookies

Ingredients

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In food processor, blend flour and parmesan cheese.

Add butter to flour and cheese mixture by pulsing blade.  Keep pulsing until dough starts to come together.  Add maple syrup, through feed tube, while pulsing.

Lightly flour work surface.

Turn dough out onto work surface and form a loose ball.

Divide dough in 1/2 and roll each half into a log.  Cut log into 12 pieces.  Roll each piece into a ball and place on lined baking sheet, space 1″-2″ apart. (You may have to lightly dust your hands with some flour to keep dough from sticking to you – use the flour sparingly.)

Flatten each ball into a 2″ round.

In a small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese with 1 tablespoon crumbled bacon.  Sprinkle on top of each cookie.

Bake cookies for 20-25 minutes.  Tops should be dry and edges golden.

Transfer to a rack to cool completely, then store in a covered container.

Technorati Tags: Bacon, Baked Goods, Cheese, dessert recipes, Easy Cooking, Easy Recipes, shortbread cookies

Related posts:Bacon Chutney – Showing Bacon Some LoveOrange Cinnamon Rolls for BreakfastA New Thanksgiving Appetizer Chestnut Mushroom Pate