Fudgy Bacon Chipotle Brownies

Well, the Holidays are over and we're into the doldrums of January. I performed my annual gluttonous duty last month and consumed my fair share of sweet, gooey treats and morsels. But having lived the austere diet I routinely set for myself in January, my mind is drifting back to chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate! So I dug back through my recipe archive and resurrected an old friend--my fudgy bacon chipotle brownie recipe! Mmmmm. This warm, luscious, hug of a brownie will shake off your winter doldrums and caress your taste buds back to happiness. The smokey flavor from the bacon and spice from the chipotle pepper swirl in your mouth with the rich chocolate to create a heavenly choir of chocolate hymns the angels above would adore! I love these brownies with espresso or a deep roast black coffee. For breakfast? Sure! After all, they do have BACON! Yum!

Ingredients

• 3 to 4 slices thick-cut, hickory smoked bacon, chopped
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce minced (remove most of the sauce before mincing)
• 6 ounces unsalted butter
• 3 ounces (2/3 cup) unbleached all-purpose flour; more for pan
• 2 cups fine granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 ounces (3/4 cup) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 350˚F with rack positioned in the center of the oven.
2. Cook bacon in a pot over medium heat until just crispy for about 10 minutes. Remove pot from the heat. Remove bacon with slotted spoon and drain over paper towels. Drain grease from pot. 
3. Using some of the bacon grease and about 1/4 cup of flour, grease and flour a 9” x 9” metal baking pan tapping out the excess flour.
4. Return the pot to stove and melt butter over medium heat.
5. Remove pot from the heat and whisk in the sugar, eggs and vanilla until sugar dissolves.
6. Stir in the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt, starting slowly to keep the ingredients from flying out of the pot and stirring more vigorously as you go.
7. Stir until the batter is smooth and uniform, about 1 minute.
8. Stir in the bacon and chipotle pepper.
9. Spread the batter into the prepared baking pan, smoothing it so it fills the pan evenly.
10. Bake until a toothpick or a skewer inserted 3/4 inch into the center of the brownies comes out with just a few moist clumps clinging to it, about 40 minutes.
11. Let the brownies cool completely in the pan on a rack.

Serves 16