Million Dollar Bacon Goat Cheese Appetizer Log
This Million Dollar Bacon Goat Cheese Appetizer log is always a hit. Served with crostini, it’s perfect as the star of a charcuterie board or a game-day snack your family will go bonkers for!
Ingredients
For the Million Dollar Bacon
- 1 pack of thick-cut bacon
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon water
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
For the Crostini
- 1 baguette
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
Additional Ingredients
- 4 or 8-ounce log of goat cheese
- maple syrup honey, or hot honey
Instructions
How to Make Million Dollar Bacon Recipe
- Begin by placing an oven rack on the center row and preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line a large rimmed baking sheet with either aluminum foil or parchment paper. Place an oven-safe baking rack on top of the foil in the pan. (I LOVE this Nordic Ware Baking Pan – the grates fit perfectly into the pan, the grease drains away from the bacon easily, and because the air circulates around the bacon, there is no zero need to flip the bacon. It’s a win-win all around! It’s the only pan I use to book bacon in the oven now.)
- Next, place the brown sugar, black pepper, water, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl.
- Lay bacon slices on your prepared sheet pan in a single layer. Cover both sides of the bacon with the brown sugar mixture, making sure to press the spice mixture into the bacon, so it sticks. Sprinkle with the red pepper flakes if using.
- Next, place the tray of bacon into your oven on the center rack and allow it to bake for 15 minutes. Take the millionaire’s bacon out of the oven, flip the slices, and allow it to cook for another 10-15 minutes until it’s crispy but not burned.
- Remove the spicy candied bacon strips from the oven and place them on a paper towel-lined plate to cool.
How to Make Crostini
- Once you’ve taken the bacon out of the oven, increase your oven’s temperature to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. While the oven is preheating to the new temperature:
- Slice the baguette into 1/2 inch slices and place them in a single layer, cut side down, on a foil-lined cookie sheet. (I always have a stack of these Nordic Ware Quarter sheet pans at my cooking station, but you can also use this Big Baking Sheet (which I also love) if you’d prefer to have all of your bread baked in one pan.)
- Lightly brush the tops of the bread with olive oil. Sprinkle them lightly with salt and pepper to taste.
- Put the pan of crostini onto the center rack of your preheated oven and allow them to bake for 7-10 minutes until they crisp and golden brown.
- Once the crostini are done, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool for 30 minutes before using.
How to Assemble the Millionaire’s Bacon Goat Cheese Appetizer Log
- Place the goat cheese log on your serving dish.
- Next, take your cooled, cooked bacon and break it into small pieces.
- Press the bacon pieces into the goat cheese log and lay some at the base of the cheese so your guests have extra to scoop up. The number of pieces you use will depend upon the size of the cheese log you’re serving and how much bacon you decide to use. (This is the best part of cooking the entire package for the millionaire bacon recipe – leftover slices of bacon! It’s a great snack to munch on after you’re done prepping this appetizer.)
Servings: 4 - 8