Bourbon Bacon Brownies with Salted Caramel Sauce

This is how I showed some love to my husband for his 40th birthday party this past weekend. He loves bacon, bourbon and chocolate… possibly (or not) in that order… so when I saw a version of these on Pinterest, I knew this had to be the dessert for his party. The recipe I pinned was gluten-free, which we don’t need to be. I was short on time and was using a jarred caramel sauce to begin with, so I decided to really make these easy and use Ghirardelli boxed brownie mix to create them. This helped considerably as I’d had an enjoyable Saturday with a long walk, leisurely breakfast and a little shopping. Meaning I ran home in the late afternoon with only 2 hours to throw together the entire food spread AND shower. It all came together quite nicely and the brownies were a huge hit (even though admittedly I wasn’t sure if bacon on a brownie was *really* a good idea).

If you aren’t sure either, I promise it’s not weird. The chocolate is intense and combined with the bacon it adds up to a nice sweet and salty combination. If you have a Trader Joe’s in your area it’s very much worth the trip for their “Fleur de Sel” Caramel Sauce… I could eat the stuff straight out of the jar with a spoon.

As for the bourbon flavor, Ghirardelli brownie mix calls for 1/4 c. of water, which is the equivalent of 4 tablespoons. I only replaced half the water with bourbon, but if you want a more intense bourbon flavor by all means use the full 1/4 cup of bourbon in place of the water.

Print Pin

Bourbon Bacon Brownies with Salted Caramel Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 box Ghirardelli brand Brownie mix any variety
• 1/3 c. oil
• 2 T. bourbon
• 2 T. water
• 1 egg
• 3/4 c. Trader Joe's Fleur del Sel Caramel Sauce
• 4 slices bacon cooked and crumbled

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 12 muffin cups with liners. Prepare brownies according to package direction, replacing half (or all) of the required water with bourbon. Fill each liner 2/3 full with brownie mix and bake for 25-30 minutes until brownies are puffed and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Allow to cool in pans for about 10 minutes, then top each bourbon brownie cup with 1 tablespoon of caramel sauce and a sprinkling of bacon bits. Allow to finish cooling in pan before serving.

Notes

Adapted from Real Sustenance