Chocolate Bacon Toffee

Is this healthy? Well, no. But it IS delicious, and it's a great treat to share with friends! Or, if you're in a more introverted mood, you could just eat it all by yourself while having a movie marathon:)

For the toffee: 1/2 cup of butter (1 stick), 1/2 cup of sugar, a pinch of salt, about 1/2 a cup of semisweet chocolate chips, and 1/2 pound of bacon (about 7 strips). You will also want a few silicone spatulas, a non-stick skillet, a mediumish saucepan, and wax paper. A thermometer is also nice to have, especially if it's a candy or fryer thermometer, but if you're like me then you'll have to use an instant-read. If you wanted to make the toffee into lollipops, you will also need sticks and either silicone molds or plastic ones that can withstand 300 degrees. Be sure to check since most candy molds are made for chocolate only.

Cut up the bacon with kitchen scissors to for easier frying. Use a non-stick pan, otherwise you'll end up with sad, soggy bacon and a crusty, impossible to clean pan. Make sure to get rid of the most fat as possible and to drain the bacon well, otherwise you'll end up with fat pooling on your toffee (which is visible in some of my later photos). Once the bacon is drained, chop it until there are no giant (quarter sized) pieces left.

In the mediumish saucepan, add the butter, sugar, and salt to the pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. It will start to bubble/boil and turn darker. Once it's a dark amber color, (temp should be 300 degrees F), shut the heat off and add the bacon.

If you're making a bark, pour the candy onto a wax paper-lined pan and top with the chocolate chips. When the residual heat starts melting them, use a spatula to spread the chocolate deliciousness around and place the pan in the fridge. If you're making lollipops, carefully pour the candy into molds that have been prepped and greased. After they harden in the fridge, dip them in melted chocolate.

Personally, I never had the greatest luck with the lollipops since the toffee is relatively hard to pour, but they do look impressive.

Yeah! You're done! Now you can go have the best dessert at your next potluck! Or you can settle down with it and return to you Marvel marathon!