Gavan Knox's Smokin’ Pig Licker Brownies recipe
From Gavan Knox, semi-finalist on Food Network’s Great Chocolate Showdown, this brownie recipe uses bacon for the perfect combo of sweet and salty.
Makes 12
Preparation time 1
Cooking time 1
Ingredients
- 1 cup bacon, finely chopped
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, cubed
- 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate, broken into pieces
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- ¾ cup plain flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp mild chilli powder
- 2 oz dark chocolate chunks
To decorate
- 3 full pieces bacon
- 3 rashers, each cut into 4
- 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, melted
- Sea salt flakes
Method
- Set your oven to 350 F and line a deep 12 x 9-inch baking tray with baking parchment, leaving an overhang on each side.
- Fry the bacon in a pan until it just starts to crisp. Add the maple syrup, and fry until it becomes a shade browner and crisper. Remove from heat and leave to cool on a plate.
- Melt the butter and chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (or bain-marie), stirring occasionally. Once melted, remove from heat, and allow to cool.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the eggs and sugar until the mixture is thickened and fluffy. Then, in a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, smoked paprika and chilli powder.
- Fold the cooled chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Sieve in the dry ingredients, and fold together until it becomes uniform in colour.
- Fold in the chocolate chunks and bacon pieces. You may need to break up the bacon pieces as they may have stuck together while cooling.
- Pour your mixture into the lined tray, and gently spread to level the surface. Bake in the oven for 20–25 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely in the tin before cutting into squares.
- To decorate, place the larger bacon pieces in the frying pan and cook until crisp. Remove and leave to cool. Melt the remaining chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (or bain-marie), or in a microwave on short bursts, until fully melted.
- Coat the bacon pieces one at a time in the melted chocolate. Place a bacon piece on top of each brownie and sprinkle with sea salt
- Leave to set, then serve and enjoy!
