Happy belated holidays to one and all! After the semester ended, Mer and I got to work on our holiday baking. We split our projects between family traditions and our own take on other bloggers’ recipes. Stay tuned for my Magical Mint Cookies, Mer’s Date Squares, and our version of the Ginger-Cinnamon Caramels posted at The Kitchn at Apartment Therapy.

Today’s recap is our version of Muffin’s bacon chocolate chip cookies with maple glaze, posted in the first week of December at Never Bashful with Butter. We tweaked the basic cookie recipe a bit, changed the nuts, and used a completely different glaze. The result was a delightful surprise: not only were they delicious, but they didn’t just taste like bacon cookies. They stood well on their own as a dessert, and made for a fabulous conversation piece at the holiday gatherings we attended.

Bacon Cookies with Maple Glaze

Ingredients for cookies:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cup miniature chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts
• 2 cups bacon bits

Ingredients for glaze:

• 4 tsp butter
• 4 tsp real maple syrup
• 1 1/3 cup confectioner’s sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars. Stir in eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add to wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Stir in chips, nuts, and bacon. Using a small small disher, drop dough onto greased or non-stick cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Cool on wax paper laid over newspaper or kitchen towels.

While cookies cool, combine butter and maple syrup in a small heavy-bottomed sauce pan and whisk until butter has melted and liquids are well-combined. Whisk in confectioner’s sugar. Drizzle warm glaze over cooled cookies. Allow glaze to set completely before packaging.

Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies.

So, what yummy goodies did you create this holiday season? Tell us all about it in the comments.