1. Bacon Caramel Corn
Sit back and snack on this delicious treat whil watching your favorite scary movie this Halloween. It’s the perfect combination of sweet and savory.
- ½ lb.-¾ lb. Bierman Original Bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- ¾ c. unpopped popcorn
- 1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 2 c. light brown sugar, lightly packed
- ½ c. light corn syrup
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- 1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 250ºF.
- In a large sauté pan set over medium-low heat, cook the bacon until a majority of the fat has rendered and the bacon is crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon pieces to a paper towel-lined plate and reserve the bacon drippings.
- Add 1 Tbsp. of the reserved drippings, plus the vegetable oil, to a large stock pot over medium heat.
- Add the popcorn to the pot and cover it. Once you hear the first kernel pop, remove the pot from the heat for 1 minute. Return the covered pot to the heat, shaking it over the flame until all of the kernels have popped. (It may take up to 5 minutes for all of the popcorn to pop.) Transfer the popcorn to a large bowl, sprinkle in the cooked bacon pieces, tossing to combine, and set the bowl aside.
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Then allow the mixture to boil, undisturbed, for 4 minutes. Remove the caramel from the heat and carefully stir in the baking soda and vanilla extract. (The caramel will bubbly vigorously once you add the vanilla.)
- Immediately pour the caramel over the popcorn, stirring to coat the popcorn and bacon.
- Transfer the coated popcorn into two 9x13-inch shallow baking pans.
- Bake the caramel corn for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
- Remove the caramel corn from the oven and spread it onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet to cool completely before breaking it into pieces and serving.
2. Mummy Jalapeno Poppers
These fall favorites take on a spooky, but cute disguise for Halloween. These can be put together ahead of time a kept in the refrigerator, just brush them with beaten egg and pop them in the oven.
- 4 slices Bierman Original Bacon or Bierman Jalapeno Bacon, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- 6 oz. + 1 heaping Tbsp. cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 ½ c. finely shredded Cheddar Jack cheese
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 clove garlic, finely grated
- Kosher salt
- 10 medium to large jalapenos (each 3 to 4 inches long), halved lengthwise with the stem intact, seeded with a small spoon
- One 8-oz. tube refrigerated crescent rolls
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 4-5 black olives (such as canned or Kalamata), for decorating
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment.
- Place the bacon in a medium skillet and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate. Mix the cooked bacon with the 6 ounces cream cheese, the Cheddar Jack, scallions, garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl until well combined.
- Fill each jalapeño half with the cream cheese mixture, leveling the surface with the back of a spoon or a small offset spatula so it’s flush with the edges of the jalapeño.
- Unroll the crescent rolls onto a cutting board. Separate into 4 rectangles at the perforations. Pinch together the diagonal perforations on each rectangle to seal the holes. Cut each rectangle lengthwise into 10 strips. Wrap each jalapeño half with 2 of the strips to resemble mummy bandages.
- Arrange the wrapped jalapeños on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops of the strips with the beaten egg. Bake until golden brown and the filling is hot, 13 to 18 minutes.
- Meanwhile, transfer the remaining heaping tablespoon cream cheese to a small resealable plastic bag and snip one of the corners. Slice off thin cheeks from all around the outside of each olive and lay the pieces flat. Punch out 40 tiny rounds using a small round piping tip (about 3/16 inch) – these will be the pupils of the eyes.
- Let the mummy poppers cool slightly for a few minutes. Pipe 2 small mounds of cream cheese on the head (wider end) of each mummy and press an olive “pupil” onto each mound. Serve right away.