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Superb bacon caramels from Cocoa Dolce. Photo by Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE. |
| WHAT IT IS: Bacon-with-chocolate confections from 28 different producers, our favorites and runners up. |
| WHY IT’S DIFFERENT: The bacon-with-chocolate combination is a relatively new flavor combination that is picking up speed. |
WHY WE LOVE IT: Smoky, salty bacon is a natural complement to chocolate. |
| WHERE TO BUY IT: See individual listings. |
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Chocolate Bacon Caramels, Brittle, Chocolates, Cookies, Caramels, Marshmallows, Bacon Shortbread, Toffee & Chocolate-Covered Bacon Strips
Jump to the article index below
Page 4: Product Reviews, Companies A
To C
I tried many products that were good or very good, but only a few had the flavor balance I was looking for. Those are designated as “favorites.” Companies are listed in alphabetical order with links to their websites. The companies may have bacon and chocolate products other than those we were able to try.
Bacon Forever
Chocolate-Dipped Bacon, Bacon Brownie, Chocolate Bacon Cookie
This chocolatier, based in Kent, Washington, sells The Muddy Pig, a crisp and chewy bacon strip dipped into dark chocolate; and a Bacon Brownie topped with big pieces of bacon and a white drizzle. The brownie is large and moist, but it’s too sweet for me, with not enough chocolate presence.
The item I liked best from this business was the Muddy Pig cookie, a large-diameter, rather flat cookie with scattered chunks of the chocolate-covered bacon. It tasted very much like a chocolate chip cookie, with chocolate-dipped bacon in place of the chips: a great combination. My difficulty with this cookie lies not with the producers, but with the nature of the product. Cookies of this type are best when very fresh. When they’re shipped, even if they’re eaten immediately upon arrival, they’re just not as good. Bacon Forever offers other non-chocolate products, too, such as dog treats, bacon jerky, and t-shirts.
BaconForever.com.
Bacon Freak
Bacon-Studded Chocolates
Promoting itself as “the 100% Real Gourmet Bacon Superstore,” Bacon Freak, of Moorpark, California, proffers its own products (under the Boss Hog brand) as well as chocolate-bacon goodies made by others. Of the Boss Hog products, I tried only the “Sueyts” (get it?) in milk and dark chocolate. These are somewhat thick rounds of chocolate, roughly two inches in diameter, studded with bits of a strongly-flavored, crisp bacon.
The Milk Chocolate variety has a stronger bacon presence than you’d think; of the two options, I liked it slightly better. The Dark Chocolate didn’t seem to have much in the way of smoke/meat/salt. I did not enjoy the couverture chocolate used to make the products.
You’ll also discover lots of pro-bacon apparel on-site, as well as sausage, jerky, dog treats, and more. BaconFreak.com
Butter Blossoms [RUNNER UP]
Bacon Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
From Charleston, South Carolina come Bacon Chocolate Shortbread Cookies: nicely packaged, well-protected for shipping, and just plain pretty. The shortbread base is excellent, and the plentiful bits of bacon provide a nice smoky/meaty presence with some salt. The result: good variation in taste and texture with each bite. I’d like slightly more of a chocolate presence, but overall the cookies are very good. Etsy.com/Shop/ButterBlossoms
The reviews continue below.
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INDEX OF REVIEW
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Cakes Suzette [RUNNER UP]
Chocolate Bacon Shortbread, Peanut Brittle & Marshmallows
Cakes Suzette, in Chatsworth, California, makes delicious small cakes, which are carried in TheNibbleGourmetMarket.com. They make marshmallows and other confections as well. Twixters, large, rather thick squares combining a shortbread base, a caramel topping with bacon, and a milk chocolate covering. To my taste, these are too sweet, and the bacon presence is overcome by the shortbread and chocolate.
The Chocolate Bacon Peanut Brittle is a typically hard, crunchy brittle studded with bacon pieces and topped with chocolate on one side.
Better are the clever Mallomores, a homemade graham cracker surmounted by a large, thick marshmallow with bits of maple bacon as a middle “layer,” all enrobed in dark chocolate. The website instructs you to heat these large treats briefly in the microwave before consuming them. When heated they turn into exactly the sort of warm, sweet-and-salty, gooey mess beloved by kids of all ages. Only the fact that there’s too much marshmallow for me prevents me from listing this as a favorite. CakesSuzette.com
Chocolate F/X
Chocolate Bacon Toffee
This small producer in Atlanta, Georgia makes Milk Chocolate and Dark Chocolate Bacon Toffees. Unlike a lot of toffee out there, theirs isn’t rock-hard; it’s a softer-style toffee, a type I love. The toffee is dipped in milk or dark chocolate and dusted with finely-chopped pecans. It’s not too sweet, with just a slight crunch and some salt/pepperiness on the finish. You can see pieces of bacon in the toffee. It’s fine toffee in and of itself, but unless you bite into a piece of bacon, you won’t really know that it’s there.
ChocolateFX.net
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A jumbo Mallomore from Cakes Suzette. Photo by River Soma | THE NIBBLE. |
Cocoa Dolce [FAVORITE]
Chocolate Bacon Caramels
From Cocoa Dolce of Wichita, Kansas, we love the Applewood Smoked Bacon Caramels. Large squares are dipped in dark chocolate, with what looks like a milk chocolate squiggle for garnish. There’s no skimping on the bacon here; you can see bits of it when you bite into a caramel, and you get the bacon crunch and flavor right away.
The Caramel Collection, with three different expressions of bacon caramel, is a memorable experience.
The caramel is very chewy, so take note if you have dental issues. There’s a strong (but not overwhelming) bacon presence, sweet caramel and chocolate. What’s not to love?
CocoaDolce.com
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One of three expressions of bacon caramels from Cocoa Dolce. Photo by Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE. |
Co Co. Sala [RUNNER UP]
Chocolate-Enrobed Bacon Strips
Co Co. Sala Chocolate Lounge & Boutique makes Chocolate Enrobed Bacon—thin, flattish “twigs” of milk or dark chocolate enclosing very crunchy, smoky, salty, narrow strips of bacon. These are the best-looking of all chocolate-covered bacons I tried, with a very strong bacon presence. They’re ideal for garnishing a plate.
If you’re headed to D.C., plan at least one meal and one “chocolate refreshment time” at Co Co. Sala. CoCoSala.com
Continue To Page 5: Bacon Chocolate From
D To L
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Chocolate Enrobed Bacon. Photo courtesy Co Co. Sala. |
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