I must confess though, my sister Nemo is the one who made these. I mostly just looked on and gave input and encouragement when needed. You know, if it was up to me, I might have made these peanut butter cookies and just sprinkled some bacon bits on top. Am I completely crazy or Elvis’s true soul mate? I’m inclined to think the latter.

Maple Bacon Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 sticks (1 cup) butter

1 1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon maple extract

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 egg

2 cups cake flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup bacon (maple flavored if you want), cooked and crumbled (maybe about a pound)

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Kosher salt for sprinkling

Set one stick of butter out to soften. Cook the other stick of the butter on medium heat on the stove until browned. Allow to cool to room temperature and is no longer liquid (feel free to put it in the refrigerator or freezer)*. Beat in the sugar. Add the extracts, syrup, and egg. Beat until well combined. Sift in the flours, soda, and salt. Mix to combine. Stir in the chips and bacon bits, saving some for garnishing the top if you wish. Chill the dough for at least an hour or until the dough is pretty firm (again, put it in the freezer if you’re impatient).

Preheat the oven to 375º. Shape cookies into balls of your preferred size. Sprinkle with any leftover bacon bits and some kosher salt. Bake cookies for 9-12 minutes or until edges or golden brown. I like to press a few chocolate chips in the top when they’re done baking.

*we actually just had 1 stick of browned butter left over from something else. If you want to brown both sticks, you might need to add a splash of milk to get the dough to come together since some of the liquid will evaporate out of the butter.