NYC's 4 Best Bacon Desserts
The truth is, bacon is not just to put atop burgers. Or to eat as a snack. Or to turn into jam. Or to have for dinner. Indeed, bacon might be best when pared with something super-sugary. The dishes below combine the salty savoriness of bacon with the soul-satisfying sweetness of baked goods and chocolate. They're our five favorite bacon desserts in NYC. By Jessica Allen.
Roni-Sue (aka Rhonda Kave) began making chocolates more than 25 years ago as a hobby. Today, from her outpost at the Essex Street Market on the Lower East Side, she makes and sells all manner of sweet things, including so-called Pig Candy. She takes crispy bacon, then dips it into milk or dark chocolate. If that's not porcine enough, try the Pig Out Package: Pig Candy, Bacon Buttercrunch (crumbled bacon and chile-sprinkled peanuts), and BaCorn (caramel popcorn with candied bacon bits and chile-sprinkled peanut).
Schmackary's opens at 8 a.m., has fresh baked cookies at 10 a.m., and offers cookies at $2.75 each, 2 for $5, 6 for $14, or 12 for $24. This Hell's Kitchen bakery makes more than 40 different types of gourmet cookies, including maple bacon. Candied bacon gets blended with maple syrup, sea salt, and toffee bits for a chewy, gooey, delicious confection. Other flavors we love include the seasonal candied yam (sweet potato, brown sugar, cinnamon, and toasted marshmallow) made in the Fall, and the classic chocolate chip.
Esquire magazine says The Redhead's bacon peanut brittle "may be the best beer nut in America." The New York Times's Frank Bruni calls it "an instant classic, a way to fill up quickly and a clue to the kitchen's unpretentious bearings." This East Village gastropub specializes in southern cooking like fried chicken and cornbread. The bacon peanut brittle, a holy concoction of peanuts, thyme, cayenne, maple syrup, and, of course, bacon, comes as a starter, but it can be a finisher too. Best of all, you can get some to take home.
It was only a matter of time before an enterprising young outfit combined New York's favorite dessert, the cupcake, with its favorite accoutrement, bacon. Others may do it too, but Butch Bakery, where "brawn and buttercream have a bromance," does it best. The Driller cupcake consists of maple cake and crumbled bacon, shot through with milk-chocolate buttercream frosting. No frills, no froth, no pink sprinkles. This made-to-order cupcake delivery service is for "men who like cupcakes," although ladies are welcome too.