My Favorite Thing to Bring to Thanksgiving :: The Pioneer Woman’s Holiday Bacon Appetizer

We moved into our first home in August 2013. I decided that since I was able for the first time ever in life, I was going to host Thanksgiving. We are a non-traditional family in the sense that we invited both sets of my divorced parents, our siblings, and my husband’s parents — one. big. happy. family.

I do not remember everything about that Thanksgiving, but I remember not having enough oven space for everyone to reheat their dishes and I remember this appetizer.

Our first Thanksgiving in our home — 2013.

This is the recipe that is available on The Food Network’s website. This is where I accessed the recipe in 2013, but that particular link is no longer available — I see you 404 error.

The current recipe suggest only parmesan cheese. The original recipe suggested using: 1. Blue Cheese and 2. Brown Sugar.

For that first Thanksgiving, we did both. I LOVE BLUE CHEESE. Like a total abnormal amount. And if I am honest, that is probably why I found the recipe to begin with.

But no one else remembers the blue cheese. Everyone only remembers the brown sugar.

We have made them with brown sugar ever since … well, brown sugar and maple bacon.

We have never made this with parmesan cheese but how could that be bad? Someone also mentioned using cream cheese. On The Pioneer Woman’s website, she mentions briefly the use of brown sugar.

Y’all, just use brown sugar. Trust.

Other than only using brown sugar and also using maple bacon, I have also learned that if you need to prepare them in advance, let’s say for Friendsgiving on a Friday after work, make them whenever you have time. Line them on a baking sheet as if you are going to bake them right away. But instead of baking them, cover them with cling wrap and pop them in your freezer on the baking sheets. Then just uncover and put into the oven whenever you are ready.

Do not ever, EVER put the oven on a higher temp than 250. My oven panel was out for some time and I could only do 350. Not a good plan. Only do 250 for the 2 hours. No need to rush greatness like these.

The year I cooked them on 350. Edible but not ideal.

Take them off of the baking sheet carefully and quickly after taking them out of the oven using a turner/spatula. The crackers tend to get strangled by the bacon and break in the middle. When you use a spatula to lift off the baking sheet, transfer them carefully and use the bacon goodness and brown sugar stickiness to hold them in place. They will cool perfectly.

This is what they SHOULD look like.

We usually serve these room temp.

The line I hear most often is — “What are these? Did you make this?”

They are my favorite thing to bring to Thanksgiving. They make your house smell magical. Everyone loves them. Will you make them this year?

Rebecca Autin
Rebecca is an attorney by day and a toddler wrangler by night. She is a product of divorced parents and grew up in both Thibodaux and Franklin, Louisiana. Rebecca attended Loyola University of New Orleans and Southern University Law Center. Rebecca married her high school bestie in 2012. Quinton and Rebecca went through months of infertility before giving birth to Maxwell Lincoln in 2015. In 2016, they were surprised by a baby boy due in June 2017. But, in February 2017, they suffered with incompetent cervix and delivered sweet Theodore Paul too soon. In October 2018, after an incredibly difficult pregnancy, a cerclage, and a whole bunch of bedrest, Fitzgerald Joseph was born -- a happy, healthy, and perfect rainbow. If you can't find Rebecca, you can summon her with pot of freshly brewed coffee or look for her in Target or behind the kitchen island where she is hiding from her kids with a very generous pour of red.