Clams Casino and 12 Other Awesome Bacon Recipes

There is not an ingredient or food product more beloved on the Internet than Bacon. Delicious and fun, bacon has even become its own topic on Reddit.

Dozens of recipes have spawned from this Internet obsession. We have dug through them and have compiled the best 13 recipes in terms of fun and taste.

Clams Casino

The recipe for clams casino originated in the early 1900s at the Casino at Narragansett Pier in Rhode Island. The dish as an amazing testament to the power of pork mixed with shellfish.

Ingredients:

24 small clams in shell
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled

Preparation:

Open clams; remove clams from shell. Wash shells; place each clam in deep half of shell. Discard remaining clam shell halves. Sprinkle clams with a little salt. Blend butter, chopped green onion, chopped bell pepper, chopped celery, lemon juice, and crumbled bacon. Top each clam with a scant tablespoon of the butter and vegetable mixture. Arrange the clams casino shells on a bed or rock salt in a shallow baking pan. Bake at 425° for 10 to 12 minutes. Clams casino recipe serves 8 as appetizer.

Bacon Cupcake

The brown sugar and maple syrup make the cupcakes sweet, and bacon makes it salty. The cake is light, salty, and sweet. Although the name sounds anything but delicious, this dish is shows off the versatility of bacon.

Ingredients:

4 1/2 tablespoons of butter, room temperature
1/2 tablespoon of bacon drippings (left in the fridge to become solid)
1 egg
5 tablespoons of brown sugar
4 tablespoons maple syrup
1 1/4 cup of self rising flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
Tiny tiny pinch of kosher salt
1/4 cup of milk
1/4 cup of minced bacon, cooked and drained

Preparation:

1. Cook some bacon in a fry pan (about 6 thick strips). Reserve the drippings and place in the fridge to solidify. Mince 1/4 a cup of the bacon. The chef should eat whatever is left to assure that the bacon is tasty.
2. Beat the crud out of the butter and solidified bacon fat ’till light and creamy. Add the brown sugar and maple syrup and beat well until combined.
3. Add the egg and beat until incorporated.
4. Sift the flour, salt, baking soda and powder together.
5. Add some of the flour and mix, then some of the milk, then continue to alternate the dry and wet ingredients, ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in the bacon. Taste and add more maple syrup, flour, or milk if needed for desired taste. Keep in mind the maple frosting is very sweet, and to add in very small increments for alterations as maple syrup in large amounts can break a cake batter.
6. Scoop into cupcake papers and bake at 350 F for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Be sure to rotate the pan after the first 15 minutes for even baking.

Bacon Baklava

Another bacon desert, with a greek twist. The texture of this dish really makes it something worth trying.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds sliced bacon
1 cup whole blanched almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped
3/4 cup coarsely chopped dates
1 package phyllo dough
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons bourbon
Finely grated zest of 1/2 orange

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. In a skillet, fry the bacon in batches until crisp. Drain well and crumble. In a food processor, finely chop the bacon with the almonds and dates.
2. Butter a 9-by-13-inch metal baking pan. Lay a sheet of phyllo in the pan; trim the edges to fit and brush with butter. Repeat with 4 more phyllo sheets and butter. Spread 1 cup of the filling evenly over the phyllo. Repeat this layering of 5 phyllo sheets and bacon filling two more times. Top with 5 buttered phyllo sheets, buttering the top well.
3. With a small, sharp knife, cut the baklava into diamonds. Bake the baklava for 10 minutes. Turn the oven to 325° and bake for 1 hour longer, or until nicely browned.
4. Meanwhile, combine the sugar, maple syrup, water, bourbon and orange zest in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, then let cool to room temperature. Pour the cooled syrup over the hot baklava and let stand at room temperature uncovered overnight.

Bacon Explosion

The now famous 5000 calorie dish is a must for any bacon list. It is the only BBQ dish on our list, and that is because it is the king of all bacon BBQ dishes.

Ingredients:

2 pounds thick-cut sliced bacon
1 1/2 pounds Italian sausage, casings removed
3 tablespoons barbecue rub
3/4 cup barbecue sauce

Preparation:

1. Using 10 slices of bacon, weave a square lattice like that on top of a pie: first, place 5 bacon slices side by side on a large sheet of aluminum foil, parallel to one another, sides touching. Place another strip of bacon on one end, perpendicular to the other strips. Fold first, third and fifth bacon strips back over this new strip, then place another strip next to it, parallel to it. Unfold first, third and fifth strips; fold back second and fourth strips. Repeat with remaining bacon until all 10 strips are tightly woven.
2. Preheat oven to 225 degrees or light a fire in an outdoor smoker. Place remaining bacon in a frying pan and cook until crisp. As it cooks, sprinkle bacon weave with 1 tablespoon barbecue rub. Evenly spread sausage on top of bacon lattice, pressing to outer edges.
3. Crumble fried bacon into bite-size pieces. Sprinkle on top of sausage. Drizzle with 1/2 cup barbecue sauce and sprinkle with another tablespoon barbecue rub.
4. Very carefully separate front edge of sausage layer from bacon weave and begin rolling sausage away from you. Bacon weave should stay where it was, flat. Press sausage roll to remove any air pockets and pinch together seams and ends.
5. Roll sausage toward you, this time with bacon weave, until it is completely wrapped. Turn it so seam faces down. Roll should be about 2 to 3 inches thick. Sprinkle with remaining barbecue rub.
6. Place roll on a baking sheet in oven or in smoker. Cook until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees on a meat thermometer, about 1 hour for each inch of thickness. When done, glaze roll with more sauce.

Chocolate Covered Bacon

This dish seemed to start out more as a joke than an actual dish, but it is worth a try. Again the mixture of salty and sweet is the theme here.

Ingredients:

1 bag (12oz) of Semi-Sweet Chocolate morsels
1 1lb of uncooked bacon
Sprinkles (optional)

Preparation:

1. Remove Bacon from package (I suspect it is possible to cook it in the package, but this might make it difficult to cover it in chocolate)
2. Heat large skillet on high.
3. Add bacon strips to skillet.
4. Turn bacon strips over as needed with tongs.
5. Cook back until it’s reduced to about ¼ of its original size and appears to be crispy. (Personally I believe that the bacon should be crispy; however if you prefer your chocolate covered bacon chewy opposed to crunchy then reduce cooking time by removing your bacon earlier)
6. Remove bacon from skillet and place it on a paper towel lined plate. (This will absorb the excess fat and oil making this a low calorie healthy snack)
7. While the bacon is cooling fill the double boiler or medium sauce pan with water and bring to a medium heat.
8. Place double boiler top pan in double boiler bottom pan or put the small sauce pan in the medium sauce pan.
9. Slowly add chocolate morsels into top pan and stir while morsels melt. Do this until all morels have been added. (Be sure to keep stirring to prevent the chocolate from burning.)
10. Using your fingers or tongs carefully dip the bacon strips into the chocolate, if necessary use a spoon to spoon the melted chocolate over the bacon evenly coating it.
11. Once coated lay strips on cooling rack or cookie sheet.
12. (Optionally) Apply Sprinkles evenly on chocolate covered bacon while on cooling rack. It’s important to apply while the chocolate is still warm. This will allow the sprinkles to better adhere to the chocolate.
13. Place cooling rack with bacon into the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
14. Carefully remove bacon strips from the cooling rack and place into a container or place the strips directly into your mouth.
15. Bring container with strips to work, school, or religious event.

Bacon Pie

The English have long loved pork pie, and this dish is very similar. There are some versions that are more sweet than meat pie.

Ingredients:

12 Bacon slices (crisply cooked, crumbled)
4 Eggs (beaten)
1 cup Shredded Cheese
1 cup Baking Mix
1-1/2 cup Milk
1/8 tsp Ground Black Pepper
1/3 cup Onion (chopped)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Sprinkle cheese, bacon slices and chopped onions on a greased pie plate.
3. Stir milk, eggs, baking mix and black pepper in a medium bowl with a fork.
4. Pour this blend into pie plate.
5. Bake it for about 40-45 minutes.
6. Bacon pie is ready.

Bacon Candy

Who doesn’t love candy? Who doesn’t love bacon? Well now you can have them both, together, in one dish.

Ingredients:

1 Pound Bacon (not thick-cut)
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar

Preparation:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Slice the bacon into 1/2 inch strips.
3. Dredge the bacon pieces in brown sugar until they are thoroughly coated.
4. Crumple aluminum foil so that it allows grease drainage.
5. Place it on a baking sheet.
6. Lay out the bacon on this making sure not to overlap the pieces.
7. Bake until the bacon is crispy.
8. Allow the bacon to cool and harden before serving.

Bacon Fried Bananas

An interesting merger of flavors happens in this dish. Probably not a desert to partake in every night, but a must try treat.

Ingredients:

Pound Bacon
Ripe Bananas, sliced

Preparation:

1. Cook the bacon in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned which takes about 10 minutes.
2. Drain the bacon slices on a paper towel-lined plate.
3. Reduce the heat to medium.
4. In the same saucepan place the bananas cut side down and cook for one minute.
5. Flip the bananas with a spatula and cook an additional minute.
6. Drain the banana slices on a paper towel-lined plate.
7. Serve warm with bacon.

Bacon Cookies

Continuing with our swine flavored deserts; we now have some more yummy baked goods. This dish is a combination of classic chocolate chip cookies and our aforementioned bacon candy.

Ingredients:

1 pckg thick cut bacon (about 10 strips)
Brown sugar for sprinkling
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
12 oz toll house semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Preparation:

1. Make the candied bacon: preheat the oven to 350 F. lay bacon on a parchment covered baking sheet so they are not overlapping. sprinkle about 2 tsp brown sugar evenly on each strip of bacon. bake for 12 minutes, remove from oven, flip bacon and drag it through the syrupy liquid that’s collected on the baking sheet. put the bacon back in the oven for another 12-15 minutes, until it is fully cooked and very dark (mahogany). remove the strips from the sheet and cool on a wire rack. after they have cooked, chop them or quickly food process into tiny pieces.
2. Make the cookies: combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. beat butter, both sugars and vanilla in a large bowl. add eggs, one at a time, beating well. gradually beat in flour mixture. stir in morsels and bacon pieces.
3. Spoon dough (about a Tbsp per cookie) onto an ungreased baking sheet and bake at 375 F for 9-11 minutes. i tend to go a little under 9 minutes so they come out just underdone. remove to cooling racks or eat immediately with a tall glass of cold milk.

Bacon Balls

Bacon, cheese, and Miracle Whip? Seriously, you should be darting to the fridge now to give Bacon Balls a shot.

Ingredients:

1 lb bacon, cooked until crisp, cooled and drained on paper towels
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup Miracle Whip
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

Preparation:

1. Process the bacon in the food processor until finely minced. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and Miracle Whip with an electric mixer until well mixed.
3. Beat in the remaining ingredients (except the bacon). Beat in the bacon only until mixed.
4. Shape into two small cheese balls and wrap each well in plastic wrap. Chill overnight.
5. Serve with crackers or pita chips.
6. To serve, you can leave the cheese ball as is, or roll in finely minced parsley, chopped nuts or finely shredded cheese. This keeps well for a few days in the refrigerator.

Bacon Bread

Many people think bread and carbs are the most unhealthy things you can eat. Now imagine adding bacon to that mix. You might think its unhealthy, but we thinks its delicious.

Ingredients:

12 slices bacon, diced
1 (1 pound) loaf frozen bread dough, thawed
2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil, divided
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 (1 ounce) package ranch salad dressing mix

Preparation:

1. In a skillet, cook bacon over medium heat for 5 minutes or until partially cooked; drain on paper towels.
2. Roll out dough to 1/2-in. thickness; brush with 1 tablespoon of oil. Cut into 1-in. pieces; place in a large bowl. Add the bacon, cheese, dressing mix and remaining oil; toss to coat. Arrange pieces in a 9-in. x 5-in. oval on a greased baking sheet, layering as needed. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes or until doubled.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Cover with foil; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until golden brown. Yield: 1 loaf.

Bacon Ice Cream

If you need something to go with your bacon cookies try some bacon ice cream.

Ingredients:

5 strips bacon
About 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
3 tablespoons (45g) salted butter
¾ cup (packed) brown sugar (170g), light or dark (you can use either)
2¾ (675ml) cup half-and-half
5 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons dark rum or whiskey
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional: ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preparation:

1. To candy the bacon, preheat the oven to 400F (200C).
2. Lay the strips of bacon on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or aluminum foil, shiny side down.
3. Sprinkle 1½-2 teaspoons of brown sugar evenly over each strip of bacon, depending on length.
4. Bake for 12-16 minutes. Midway during baking, flip the bacon strips over and drag them through the dark, syrupy liquid that’s collected on the baking sheet. Continue to bake until as dark as mahogany. Remove from oven and cool the strips on a wire rack.
5. Once crisp and cool, chop into little pieces, about the size of grains of rice.
6. To make the ice cream custard, melt the butter in a heavy, medium-size saucepan. Stir in the brown sugar and half of the half-and-half. Pour the remaining half-and-half into a bowl set in an ice bath and set a mesh strainer over the top.
7. In a separate bowl, stir together the egg yolks, then gradually add some of the warm brown sugar mixture to them, whisking the yolks constantly as you pour. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan.
8. Cook over low to moderate heat, constantly stirring and scraping the bottom with a heatproof spatula, until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula.
9. Strain the custard into the half-and-half, stirring over the ice bath, until cool. Add liquor, vanilla and cinnamon, if using.
10. Refrigerate the mixture. Once thoroughly chilled, freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Add the bacon bits during the last moment of churning, or stir them in when you remove the ice cream from the machine.

Bacon Crepes

We round out our list with a breakfast dish. Try some bacon crepes, a great way to start the day.

Ingredients:

1c. flour
1 egg
1 c. milk

Topping

1 lb. bacon
6oz. sour cream
Butter for frying crepes

Preparation:

Fry 1 lb. bacon until crispy. Remove bacon from pan and place on paper towel to absorb grease. Do not discard grease in pan but remove from heat. While bacon is frying mix together flour, egg, and milk(add more flour or milk until batter is the consistency of syrup).

Melt butter in second frying pan over medium heat. Pour thin layer of batter until bottom of pan is covered. Once top of crepe is set flip to other side. Cook crepe until light brown. Next add sour cream to pan with warm bacon grease. Crumble cooked bacon into mixture. Spread bacon mixture over finished crepe. Roll crepe and serve immediately.