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Home Dietary Gluten Free Recipes

Man Candy: Candied Bacon and Nuts

By:Nagi
Published:30 Jan '15Updated:18 Oct '20
54 Comments
Recipe v

Candied bacon and nuts. “Man Candy”. It couldn’t possibly be called anything else. Ridiculously addictive. Easy to make. Be careful who you make this for!

A tray of Candied Bacon and Nuts

It is rare to meet a bloke who doesn’t love bacon. It is like men are genetically programmed to be obsessed with bacon. And beer, for that matter. And beef. Did I just figure out the holy trinity for men? Beer, Beef and Bacon.

This candy doesn’t have beef or beer in it. I did make a version with beer, but it was more effort to make, you couldn’t actually taste the beer in it and it had a much thicker candy coating which I thought made it far too sweet.

This one is super simple to make. It is actually a recipe by Sunny Anderson (an American celebrity chef) which she calls Bacon Bark. I changed the name because after 3 attempts to make it, it never came out like “bark” and I am not convinced it could because there is simply not enough toffee/candy to spread and hold the bacon and nuts together. It does stick together in chunks, but not like “bark”.

So I thought candy was a more suitable name for it. It’s like candied nuts – but with bacon added. You can break it up completely, all leave it in bigger chunks (which I prefer).

This is INSANELY ADDICTIVE!

A cup of Candied Bacon and Nuts (walnuts and pecan)

The ingredients are exactly the same as Sunny’s recipe but I rewrote it with more instructions so you can benefit from my failed efforts. The first time I made it, it didn’t come out like candy, more like a sticky caramel. This was because there was too much bacon fat, so I added the step to drain excess fat off the baking tray before adding the nuts. The second time I made it, I didn’t use baking / parchment paper which the recipe said was optional, but it’s definitely necessary because otherwise the toffee gets stuck on the baking tray.

Valentine’s Day is around the corner. Homemade Man Candy. Now that’s a priceless gift!

– Nagi

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A tray of Candied Bacon and Nuts

Man Candy: Candied Bacon and Nuts

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 25 mins
Total: 35 mins
Bacon, Candy
5 from 12 votes
Servings6 - 8
Tap or hover to scale
Print
  • 353
Easy to make, and a great gift for any bacon lover. Just be careful who you give it to. Because they will be begging you to make it again and again and again!!

Ingredients

Candied Bacon

  • 6 slices centre cut or middle bacon (about 200g / 6 oz) (Note 1)
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar (light or normal)
  • 1/2 tsp paprika (Note 2)
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (Note 2)
  • 1 lemon , zest only
  • Pinch of salt
  • Black pepper (3 grinds)

Candied Nuts

  • 1 cup pecans , roughly chopped
  • 1 cup walnuts , roughly chopped
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar (light or normal)
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (Note 3)
  • 1/2 tsp paprika (Note 2)
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (Note 2)
  • 1/8 tsp pepper
  • Black pepper (3 grinds)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
  • Line a baking tray with baking paper (parchment paper).
  • Cut the bacon into 1.5cm / 0.6" pieces (remove rind if it has it).
  • Combine with remaining Candied Bacon ingredients in a bowl and use your fingers to coat the bacon.
  • Combine the Candied Nuts ingredients in a bowl and toss to combine.
  • Spread the Candied Bacon onto a baking tray and bake for 10 minutes, or until the sugar is bubbling and the bacon is starting to turn brown (i.e. almost cooked).
  • Remove the bacon from the tray using a slotted spatula (so you don't get too much bacon fat) and transfer it into the bowl with the nuts. Mix to combine.
  • Use a spatula to scrape and pour the excess oil off the parchment paper (this is what I did).
  • Pour the nuts back onto the baking tray and bake for 15 minutes, stirring once at half time.
  • Turn the oven off and open the door slightly. Leave for at least 15 minutes, then remove and allow to cool.
  • Break the candy into chunks. To store, place into an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator. (Note 4)

Recipe Notes:

1. Center cut is lower in fat than streaky bacon. In Australia, the equivalent is middle bacon which is the type most commonly found at supermarkets. Streaky bacon can also be used but use 1 extra piece because the bacon is much fattier and the fat renders out when you bake it so you will end up with less bacon unless you use an extra piece.
2. The original recipe calls for hot Hungarian Paprika. I couldn't find this, so I just used ordinary and added cayenne pepper for the heat. You could also use chili powder, but make sure it's pure chili powder, not American chili powder which is more like a seasoning which has other flavourings like onion powder in it.
If you happen to have hot Hungarian Paprika, then you can use 1/2 tsp of it instead of 1/2 tsp ordinary paprika + 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper.
3. Pumpkin Pie Spice is a spice blend used for pumpkin pie which you can buy pre blended in America. I make my own - it's very simple: 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder + 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg + 1/4 tsp all spice + 1/8 tsp ground ginger.
4. I am not 100% sure how long it can be kept for. I have never seen it last more than 3 days, so I know it's fine for up to 3 days. It should be stored in the refrigerator - because of the bacon. Bring it to room temperature before serving.
5. Nutrition assumes 6 servings but this does not take into account that the rendered fat is discarded.
Man Candy Bacon Pecan Walnuts Nutrition

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 82gCalories: 443cal (22%)Carbohydrates: 21.5g (7%)Protein: 16.1g (32%)Fat: 34.5g (53%)Saturated Fat: 5.3g (33%)Cholesterol: 28mg (9%)Sodium: 582mg (25%)Potassium: 360mg (10%)Fiber: 3.4g (14%)Sugar: 16.6g (18%)Vitamin A: 250IU (5%)Vitamin C: 1.7mg (2%)Calcium: 40mg (4%)Iron: 1.8mg (10%)
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

 

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54 Comments

  1. Joyce says

    December 24, 2020 at 3:07 pm

    5 stars
    OMG! Like I need this while on partial lockdown, rainy weather and the gym is closed! Not! Used pecan halves and cashews, hot smoked paprika AND cayenne. SO good! I wonder if drizzling it with chocolate would be too much? 😉.

    Reply
  2. Amy Morgan says

    January 26, 2020 at 2:15 pm

    5 stars
    We made this to go on ice cream, unbelievably good!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      January 28, 2020 at 11:45 am

      OH YES! I’m going to have to do this!

      Reply
  3. Victoria says

    December 14, 2018 at 12:02 am

    I absolutely love everything about your website, your recipes, your notes, your funny comments and your beautiful dog!
    I used to be a big fan of the Foodnetwork, until I found one of your recipes. Thank you and keep up the good work.
    I am definitely going to make the Christmas Cheese Log next week. My husband is Italian and he would love it!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      December 14, 2018 at 1:31 pm

      Thanks so much Victoria! I’ve eaten way too much of it the last week – it’s just that good! I hope you love it too!

      Reply
  4. teresa bartz says

    October 10, 2015 at 4:31 am

    5 stars
    I have been making this for a while, before finding your recipe. How I do it, is i buy the thick sliced bacon, and I place it in the oven in complete slices, on the parchment paper, and cook it until it is about 2/3 cooked. I take it out and let it cool. when it is cool, i place a rack on the cookie sheet and place the bacon strips on it. so any remaining fat will drip down off it onto the paper below. I put the brown sugar, spices and pecans in a food processor and pulse it just until the pecans are in small pieces. I then spread it on a piece of waxed paper and coat the bacon slices in it and place them back on the rack. I then put it back in the oven to finish baking until crispy and bubbling.
    when cool, you can break it into small pieces, or eat it as is.

    Reply
    • Nagi | RecipeTin says

      October 10, 2015 at 7:00 am

      That’s a great tip!! Is that your own recipe or did you find Sunny’s recipe too and “fix” it?

      Reply
      • teresa bartz says

        October 10, 2015 at 9:32 am

        no, its my own actually. i was watching a tv show and they talked about candied bacon, and i wondered if it was a real thing, lol cause i had never heard of it and I LOVE bacon hahaha. So when I googled it, and read a few ways of making it i set about making my own version.

        Reply
  5. Dorothy Dunton says

    May 5, 2015 at 1:25 am

    P.S. I would use smoked paprika – another thing I’m obsessed with (oh, and then there is chipotle powder)… 🙂

    Reply
    • Nagi | RecipeTin says

      May 5, 2015 at 8:25 am

      Same here! I LOVE the smokey flavour 🙂

      Reply
  6. Dorothy Dunton says

    May 5, 2015 at 1:21 am

    Hi Nagi! Don’t know I missed this post! I agree with the comments above – Woman candy!! Then again, you know how I obsess over bacon! I start to panic when my bacon stash starts running low!

    Reply
    • Nagi | RecipeTin says

      May 5, 2015 at 8:24 am

      ME TOO! I always ALWAYS have a stash in the freezer. If you have bacon, you always have a meal on hand!!

      Reply
  7. sherry from sherrys pickings says

    February 6, 2015 at 2:25 pm

    yum yum it sounds perfect. i love bacon with sweet things.!

    Reply
    • Nagi | RecipeTin says

      February 6, 2015 at 6:24 pm

      Me too! Bacon candy is awesome!! 🙂

      Reply
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I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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