What do Bacon, Dark Chocolate and Macadamian Nuts have in common...

they all taste good all by themselves, but put them all together and they are off the charts good.
My neighbor Mary Michael found this recipe in Diane Sanfillipo's New York Times bestseller "Practical Paleo".  Here is the recipe and Mary Michael's notes.

"Ingredients

1 cup dark chocolate chips

1/4 cup toasted nuts-- chopped into small pieces, if larger nuts (recipe calls    for hazelnuts. I used macadamia nuts and thought it was a great choice).

4 pieces crisp bacon -- crumbled into small pieces

1 tsp. bacon grease

1/2 tsp. sea salt (smoked sea salt is called for, but I didn't have that)

You can melt chocolate in a double-boiler, but I didn't have one, so I used the microwave, which is also suggested. Put about 1/8 to 1/4 cup of chips in a microwave-safe bowl with the 1 tsp bacon grease. Coat the chips, and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir to break down the chips, and then add increments of chips, about 1/8 to 1/4 cup at a time, microwaving for 10 to 15 seconds between each addition of chips, so that you can melt the chocolate without burning it. I stirred between each microwaving.

When chocolate is melted, pour mixture on parchment paper on a baking sheet. You want it thin, but not like paper. 

Recipe says to add nuts and chopped bacon when mixture has somewhat cooled. I personally found it better to add bacon, nuts, and salt while the chocolate was still hot, so that the bacon/nuts would be firmly in place and wouldn't fall off. 

Put it fridge and let cool (30 minutes?), and then break into pieces. I found one of these broke into enough pieces (12-14?)  to make enough "goodie" bags for 2-3 people, depending on how much you want to give to each person. 

ALSO...

My macadamia nuts came in halves, so  I cut the halves into thirds, so they'd be smaller. Then I toasted them for about 7 minutes on 350 -- just until they were a nice, warm brown."  Mary Michael

This is good chocolate. I love the flavor combination. Thank you Mary Michael for making it and sharing it with your neighbors. Glad I live next door. 

Quote of the Day:

“There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate.”
― Linda Grayson