Brown Sugar Bacon Sticks Brushed w/Maple Syrup

Oh yeah, I went there. Bacon on a stick. This food memory is going to sound crazy and it's from so long ago I can't admit the year. However, I assure you this is real and it's all about bacon. A grillion years ago, I went to my cousin's wedding and ate a sweet bacon-stick appetizer that blew my mind. I couldn't figure out what it was. I just.kept.eating.them.

Brown Sugar Bacon Sticks: One of my Favorite Food Memories

Years later, I made these bacon sticks and they were good but they were missing something. I wanted them to taste like the appetizer from the wedding. But I couldn't. I rolled bacon - wrapped around a grissini breadstick - in brown sugar and baked them. In hindsight, one big mistake was not cooking them on a wire rack so the sugar and fat can drip down onto the foil. They were always a mess! Humph. Plus, there was a layer of flavor missing.

When I added the maple syrup it was a game changer. I can't believe it took me so long to realize the missing link was maple syrup. So embarrassing! Finally, I cooked them on the wire rack and brushed them with good-quality, real maple syrup when they came out of the oven and I finally did it!! They tasted exactly like the wedding appetizer. Keep in mind also: this is only a four-ingredient appetizer.

I set aside a few for my mom to try and this is what she said and I am not kidding, "Oh my God these taste just like that appetizer at your cousin's wedding."

My mom and I had never discussed the appetizer from my cousin's wedding. I never knew this was a food memory for her and that she also loved that appetizer and had daydreamed about it from time to time over the years. This is a "true story," as my Uncle Buck used to say. Yes, I had an Uncle Buck.

The Brown Sugar Bacon Stick Gallery

There's a delicate touch needed when preparing bacon sticks

It's relatively straightforward to make these, but you do need a soft touch. Grissini breadsticks are needed and to be honest, many of the breadsticks in the package I bought were broken. When handled, they can break if you are not careful. So we adapt, right?

• For the broken Grissini breadsticks - I just broke off a bit from the top to even them out. They are a bit too long anyway.
• One strip of bacon should be gently wrapped around the breadstick.
• Transfer the bacon stick to the brown sugar and coat the whole stick.
• Lay out your brown sugar bacon sticks on a wire rack placed on top of a foil-lined sheet pan.
• After they are cooked, transfer to another plate or clean sheet pan with parchment paper.
• Brush with maple syrup.

Now go forth and make bacon sticks! Seriously, this is a great appetizer for a crowd and you could even put these babies out at your next brunch gathering. Either way, it will be the one thing everyone remembers.

If you're looking for more appetizer ideas, you should check out my Shrimp & Gorgonzola Dip with Pancetta or my Crispy Thai Pork Toast

Brown Sugar Bacon Sticks Brushed w/Maple Syrup

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• Author: Stacey
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 14 bacon sticks 1x

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Description

Brown sugar bacon sticks will be the most-remembered appetizer you serve. Brushed with maple syrup… oh, nevermind. It’s BACON. Enough said.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 pound of bacon (about 14 slices)
• 2 cups light brown sugar
• 1 4.4-ounce package of plain or garlic grassini breadsticks (see note #1)
• 1-2 tablespoons maple syrup

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Instructions

1. Don’t forget to watch the video – it shows the steps very well! 
2. Put foil on a sheet pan and a wire rack on top of that. This is where the bacon sticks will go. The foil is important because the fat and sugar will drip from the bacon sticks while they cook and make a huge mess. 
3. Pour the brown sugar onto a plate or baking dish. Something long enough that can fit the breadsticks. I used a baking dish. You won’t use all that brown sugar but it’s needed so you have enough to coat the breadsticks. 
4. Take one strip of bacon and wrap it around a breadstick (video shows this well). Gently place it in the brown sugar and coat with the sugar. Press very gently on the breadstick – they do break easily so be careful. Transfer the brown sugar coated bacon stick to the wire rack. You can make these any size you want. I broke part of the top off because they are too long to begin with.
5. Repeat this process until you’ve coated all the bacon sticks in brown sugar. 
6. Cook in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. My oven runs hot so it may take a bit longer depending on your oven.
7. Remove from the oven and carefully transfer the bacon sticks to a parchment paper lined sheet pan or plate. The sugar and bacon fat drip onto the foil and it will be quite messy. If your wire rack is too low, the bacon sticks may stick to the drippings. That’s why they need to be transferred to another surface. 
8. Pour 1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup into a small bowl or ramekin. Using a pastry brush, gently brush the maple syrup on each bacon stick. If you don’t have a pastry brush just drizzle with a spoon. 
9. Let cool a few minutes and serve.

Notes

1. I usually use plain breadsticks for this appetizer, but guess what? They didn’t have any at the store so I made them with garlic breadsticks for this video. It was totally fine and there isn’t enough garlic flavor to affect the overall flavor. 
2. You can use light or dark brown sugar for this. 
3. The maple syrup is the key to the amazing flavor so don’t skip that. Yes, bacon taste great coated in brown sugar, but the maple syrup puts it over the top. 
4. Yes, you could try using maple flavored bacon. However, I’ve yet to try a maple bacon that doesn’t have a weird artificial flavor to it. Using regular bacon and brushing the maple syrup on is the best way.
5. You can opt to make these half the size I made. Just cut the pound of bacon in half and break off part of the breadstick according to the bacon size.