Labbits Fuel Up With: Bacon & Chocolate Chip Chocolate Cookies

It's been a while since the labbits put up a cooking post. It's been far too hot in New England to bake and besides, it's salad season in farmland paradise! There's been a lot of arugula salads with strawberries and blueberries, and greens with shredded raw beets, yum yum! The heat wave ends tonight so there may be some heat in the kitchen as the labbits cook up some summer squash and zucchini burritos.

Summer is also triathlon season for Masher McBuns and his friend Doddy Blue. Labbits are (mostly) vegetarian, but for the serious triathlete, and for the plush mini labbit, sometimes a little BACON is in order. And so, Masher and Doddy decided to bake these Bacon & Chocolate Chip Chocolate Abominations Cookies. These are decadent. These are sinful. These are for the labbit who MEANS BUSINESS. These are the moath amayznghf ookiesh. Oh - pardon me. Was just eating one. :)

Doddy Blue did his first 70.3 triathlon in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, so he was a labbit who meant business. Here's how you make the best cookies ever. Print the recipe here.

Bacon & Chocolate Chip Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients:
12 strips Applewood Smoked Maple Bacon
3/4 cup softened butter
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preparation:
Cook the bacon on the stove until browned; break into bite-size pieces (not crumbles). Reserve 1 1/2 tablespoons of bacon grease and mix in with the butter and sugar. Add the eggs, vanilla and remaining ingredients. Do not over-mix! Form cookies. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 350 °F. Allow to cool on a wire rack before storing in an air-tight container. Because these cookies have bacon, store these in the refrigerator for up to one week (if they aren't eaten by then) and microwave on low for 10 seconds to warm them up and get those chips gooey. Enjoy!

Boy is it ever tempting to eat these cookies pre-baking. Mmmm, maple bacon chocolate chip cookie dough...*drools*

Yields: About 3 dozen 2" cookies.

Recipe: Adapted from Kim Youngblood