These adorable pig-shaped cookies are not only infused with the savory taste of bacon but also have a touch of sweet maple flavoring. And, just in time for Valentine’s Day, these cookies even have little cinnamon candy hearts to add an extra dose of adorable whimsy. So forget the traditional chocolates and roses, and give your loved ones the ultimate expression of love, bacon in the form of adorably cute tasty pig-shaped cookies.

What is love? I think we can all agree that bacon is love. Even crazy little Brenna has an affection for bacon; or at least the smell of it. I tried giving her a tiny crumble of bacon once and she walked away. Surprising, considering she always comes running into the kitchen when she smells me cooking with it.

So what could be better than bacon? Bacon cookies of course. When I came across a pig cookie cutter at Williams-Sonoma recently, I decided that I wanted to do something with bacon for Valentine’s Day this year. Forget the Heart-Side-of-the-Cup Cookie Cutter I had already purchased at World Market. Pigs beat out hearts any day of the week. I grew up with pigs, so I have a real fondness for the critters. I still force B.O.B. Bob to visit Frying Pan Farm with me every time a new litter is born. Newborn piglets always make me smile.  Those tiny little corkscrew tails are just the most adorable. It’s the little things, like baby farm animals, that really make me the happiest; I’m a simple girl.

I wanted my litter of piglets to display their hearts for Valentine’s Day, so I searched every place I could think of for red cinnamon hearts. It seems that there are a lot of people in this world who have an addiction to them because every store was completely sold out. So my vision was forced to change a bit. The hearts I ended up using are a little big, but maybe that’s just because pigs have a lot of love to give to the world…especially when it comes in the form of bacon.

Ingredients:

Cookies:

• 8 Slices Thick-Cut Bacon
• 2 Tablespoons Bacon Grease
• 1 Cup Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
• 3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar, Packed
• 1 Egg, Room Temperature
• 2 Teaspoons Maple Flavor or Extract
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 3 Cups All-Purpose Flour

Icing:

• 2 Cups Powdered Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Light Corn Syrup
• 2 Teaspoons Maple Flavor or Extract
• 3 Tablespoons Milk
• Red Gel Food Coloring

Decoration

• Cinnamon Candy Hearts

Directions:

Cookies:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cover a baking sheet completely with tin foil. Place a raised rack on the baking sheet. Lay the bacon strips across the raised rack. Bake the bacon for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven; set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
3. Place bacon in a food processor, and process until finely crumbled; set aside.
4. Mix reserved bacon grease, butter, and sugars for 2 minutes on medium speed. Add egg; mix for 1 minute. Add maple extract; mix for 1 minute. Add bacon, salt, and pepper; mix for 1 minute.
5. On low speed, slowly add flour; mix until just incorporated.
6. Roll the dough out on a well-floured surface with a floured rolling pin to a 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out shapes with a cookie cutter. Combine scrap dough and roll out again, until you have used all of the dough.
7. Place cookies on a Silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes.
8. Allow the cookies to cool on a baking sheet for 5 minutes, before removing them to a rack to cool completely.

Icing & Decoration:

1. After the cookies have completely cooled, mix all of the icing ingredients. Pour the mixture into a decorating bottle.
2. Outline the cookie with icing first, then go back and fill in the pig shape. Place a candy heart on the pig, and then set the cookie aside for the icing to set up.
3. Allow the cookies to set for several hours, giving the icing enough time to completely harden.
4. Store the cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Suggestions:

• If your pigs aren’t holding their shape very well when you are placing them on your cookie sheet, you may have rolled your dough out too thin.
• I suggest sifting your powdered sugar before mixing your icing. I skipped this step and ended up with some small sugar crystals in my icing.

Improvements:

• Instead of coating the sugar cookie pigs with icing, try dipping them in melted chocolate.
• Decorate each pig with a wee candy eyeball.
• CLICK HERE to check out all of our past cookie recipes. Don’t forget to check out our Valentine’s Day cookies section.

Print

Yum

Bacon Maple Sugar Cookie Pigs of Love

Ingredients:

Cookies:
• 8 Slices Thick-Cut Bacon
• 2 Tablespoons Bacon Grease
• 1 Cup Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
• 3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar, Packed
• 1 Egg, Room Temperature
• 2 Teaspoons Maple Flavor or Extract
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 3 Cups All-Purpose Flour
Icing:
• 2 Cups Powdered Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Light Corn Syrup
• 2 Teaspoons Maple Flavor or Extract
• 3 Tablespoons Milk
• Red Gel Food Coloring
Decoration
• Cinnamon Candy Hearts

Directions:

Cookies:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cover a baking sheet completely with tin foil. Place a raised rack on the baking sheet. Lay the bacon strips across the raised rack. Bake the bacon for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven; set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
3. Place bacon in a food processor, and process until finely crumbled; set aside.
4. Mix reserved bacon grease, butter, and sugars for 2 minutes on medium speed. Add egg; mix for 1 minute. Add maple extract; mix for 1 minute. Add bacon, salt, and pepper; mix for 1 minute.
5. On low speed, slowly add flour; mix until just incorporated.
6. Roll the dough out on a well-floured surface with a floured rolling pin to a 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out shapes with a cookie cutter. Combine scrap dough and roll out again, until you have used all of the dough.
7. Place cookies on a Silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes.
8. Allow the cookies to cool on a baking sheet for 5 minutes, before removing them to a rack to cool completely.
Icing & Decoration:
9. After the cookies have completely cooled, mix all of the icing ingredients. Pour the mixture into a decorating bottle.
10. Outline the cookie with icing first, then go back and fill in the pig shape. Place a candy heart on the pig, and then set the cookie aside for the icing to set up.
11. Allow the cookies to set for several hours, giving the icing enough time to completely harden.
12. Store the cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

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