Recipe: Vegan Chocolate Bacon Bites

Ice cube trays give you a perfect nugget of chocolate-covered vegan-bacon.

My husband almost always needs to end his dinner with a dessert, so I wanted to surprise him with a new chocolaty treat that I put together one lazy afternoon.

These vegan chocolate bacon bites are easy to make and can be customized to suit your loved one's tastes. I had some bags of Phoney Baloney's Coconut Bacon sitting in my pantry, and I wanted to incorporate their salty goodness into a recipe. What better place to put these cruelty-free bacon bits in than in some rich chocolate!

VEGAN CHOCOLATE BACON BITES

Ingredients:
2 cups of vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips, such as Enjoy Life
1 teaspoon of cinnamon (I had apple pie spice lying around, so I used that)
1 teaspoon of cardamom powder (optional)
1/4 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon of cayenne (optional)
1 teaspoon of coconut oil
Salt
2 teaspoons of Magic Vegan Bacon Grease (optional)
Phoney Baloney Coconut Bacon (you can use one flavor or a mix of flavors)
Vegan sprinkles (optional)
Ice cube trays
Cooking spray
Pot of boiling water
Glass bowl

Instructions:
First, lightly grease two ice cube trays. Add some coconut bacon to the bottom of each ice-cube section. It was about 1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon of flakes per section. You just want to fill about 1/3 of the section.

Next, melt your chocolate chips. I boiled a couple inches of water in a pot and placed a glass bowl over the mouth of the pot once the water was boiling and I had turned the stove off. In the bowl I had the chocolate chips, the spices (cinnamon, cardamom, cayenne, and a pinch of salt), and the coconut oil. Don't add the Magic Vegan Bacon Grease yet -- I find that the vegan bacon grease tastes better when stirred in at the very end.

Add the vegan bacon grease right before you spoon your chocolate mixture into the ice cube trays.

As the chocolate melts, stir the mixture until it's completely smooth. Then, add the Magic Vegan Bacon Grease, making sure to include the bacony bits at the bottom of the jar (if the contents have melted). Vegan bacon grease is comprised of coconut oil, so depending on the temperature of your kitchen, the contents of the jar could be melted or in a solid state.

Carefully spoon about 1 tablespoon of chocolate into each section of the ice-cube tray. Go back and fill each section if you have leftover chocolate. You want each section to be half full of the chocolate and coconut bacon mixture. Don't worry if you don't have enough chocolate or if you filled each section too much and ran out...you can either make more chocolate sauce or just fill one ice cube tray.

Gently shake the ice cube trays to settle the chocolate into the coconut bacon and to make the tops a little smoother. I like to sprinkle a little salt on top of each section, as well as some organic vegan sprinkles.

Vegan sprinkles add a little crunch to each bite.

Stick the trays in the freezer, and the chocolate hardens within 10 minutes thanks to the coconut oil. They should pop out easily, but if not, just take a knife around the edges. The chocolate pieces melt quickly in your warm fingers, so keep that in mind when you're handling the candy.

I empty the chocolate pieces into a Tupperware and keep it in the fridge for my husband to grab one or two treats whenever he has a craving for something sweet. The semi-sweet chocolate is rich and smooth, and you get bursts of salty goodness from the coconut bacon and pinch of salt on the surface of the candy. The sprinkles also add a nice crunch with each bite.

As I stated earlier, you can add whatever spices you want. Definitely leave out the cayenne if your family doesn't like spicy food. The cayenne adds a little heat that you feel in the back of your throat -- you don't feel it on your tongue. Consider adding peppermint extract for a nice minty treat, or filling the tray with vegan cookie pieces or vegan mini marshmallows.

Review: Vegan Shelf-Stable Bacons

photo comes from my Instagram feed

Vegan bacon products can add a salty, smoky crunch to hors d'oeuvres, such as this date appetizer. Medjool dates stuffed with Tofutti cream cheese. I mixed 2T of cream cheese with one thinly sliced green onion, 2T of chopped water chestnuts (for texture), and a pinch of salt and pepper. I topped the dates with a few pieces of Phoney Baloney's Coconut Bacon.

WayFare'S Bacony Bits add a great crunch and a slightly smoky flavor to each bite of this pasta salad. To make the pasta salad, cook 1 cup of pasta. In a separate bowl, mix 1/2 cup each of shredded carrots, sliced black olives, peas, sauteed mushrooms, and chopped tomatoes (you can add more or less of these ingredients to your liking). For the sauce, I mixed 1/2 cup of vegan mayo with 3 tablespoons of yellow mustard, 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, and 1 salt and pepper to taste. I had 2 tablespoons of Tofutti cream cheese left, so I mixed that in as well for extra creaminess. Feel free to add other spices and hot sauce. 

Today I’m reviewing Phoney Baloney’s Coconut Bacon and WayFare’s Pig Out Whole Grain Bacony Bits.

Here are some features of both products:

• Coconut Bacon: This gluten-free product consists of 1-inch and smaller flakes of salty, smoky goodness. Upon first bite, you taste salt, and then the flake begins to dissolve somewhat in your mouth. You taste/smell the natural hickory smoke concentrate, and you get a slight kick from the spices, which include pepper. You don't taste coconut at all. The company says their product is best consumed within six months of production and is best served as a topping because “the Coconut Bacon does not hold up well in extreme heat or moisture.” The tamari used in the coconut bacon is non-GMO. The product can be purchased on the company’s website, as well as a number of other online and brick-and-mortar retailers. See the list of sellers here.

• Bacony Bits: This soy-free product is labeled as non-GMO. It’s extremely crunchy – almost like Grape Nuts cereal (if you’re familiar with that product). Upon first bite, you definitely know you’re eating bacon bits. It tastes similar to the bacon-bit products you might have tried from large commercial manufacturers. The bits are salty, but not as salty as the coconut bacon, and there’s a great smoky aftertaste that comes from the hickory smoke powder. Reviewers have said that it’s easy to snack on the product straight from the bag, and I can see why – its crunchy texture is addicting and the smoky aftertaste is satisfying. This product can be purchased from online retailers, including: veganessentials.com, vegancuts.com, and rabbitfoodgrocery.com.

I find that both products have room in the vegan-bacon market. Those who need a soy-free product can utilize the bacon bits, while those who can’t consume gluten can enjoy the coconut bacon. Phoney Baloney’s Coconut Bacon adds a nice, slight crunch and salty-smoky flavor in tomato sandwiches and as a topping on hors d'oeuvres. WayFare’s Bacony Bits keep its crunchy texture longer than coconut bacon, so it’s great atop appetizers and as a topping on pasta salad, salad greens, and anything else you where you want to add a salty, smoky, and crunchy element.

If you don’t have any diet restrictions, I urge you to try both products. You won’t be disappointed.