Bacon lovers, have I got a must-try recipe for you–Candied Bacon Crackers!
This simple appetizer brings together warm and crispy bacon with buttery club crackers, and a topping of brown sugar and spice.
They are beyond easy to make, but don’t be fooled; they have layers of sweet and savory flavors that taste amazing together.
I can’t explain how truly addicting these candied bacon crackers are. They’re always a favorite at parties, so much so that you just might want to double the recipe.
Why You’ll Love this Bacon Wrapped Crackers Recipe
Minimal Ingredients – These candied bacon-wrapped club crackers can be made with as few as 3 ingredients: bacon, club crackers and brown sugar. I like to add a pinch of garlic powder and black pepper for a little extra spice.
Easy Last-Minute Party Snack – These bacon crackers only take a few minutes to assemble. You can make them a little bit ahead of time, then pop in the oven just before serving for maximum crispiness.
Always a Crowd Pleaser! What’s not to love about brown sugar candied bacon crackers? This sweet and salty snack appetizer is perfect for all sorts of occasions. Whether you’re sitting around watching football or need a last-minute snack for a holiday party, the Super Bowl or anything else, these crispy bacon crackers always disappear fast!
For another sweet and delicious bacon appetizer, try these bacon-wrapped dates with maple glaze.
Ingredients Needed
Bacon – Get a package of center cut bacon. Try to pick out one where the fat is evenly spread across. (Note: In the photo above the fat is concentrated to the end of each strip so my plan was to just cut off that big section.)
For the recipe, I suggest NOT using thick bacon. It takes longer to cook in the oven than regular slices, and that extra time may cause the crackers to burn.
Club Crackers – I highly recommend using buttery club crackers for this recipe. The flavor with bacon is amazing and the small rectangle strips of bacon wrap perfectly around the ends of similarly shaped crackers.
Some people enjoy bacon Ritz crackers. While the taste is all good, I don’t like that so much of the circular cracker isn’t covered in bacon.
Brown Sugar – A sprinkle of light or dark brown sugar is all it takes to “candy” these bacon crackers. Both types are equally delicious. Just keep in mind that dark brown sugar has a stronger molasses flavor.
Garlic Powder – The smallest amount is all you need to add a nuanced savory flavor.
Black Pepper – A crack of fresh black pepper or a few flakes of course ground black pepper adds the slightest spicy heat to these candied bacon crackers.
Endless Customizations – As you can imagine, you can customize these crackers with lots of complementary flavors. Honestly, it’s hard to go wrong. Try a little red pepper for some heat. Or how about topping each bacon cracker with a slice of jalapeno pepper? Ranch seasoning would add a little zip. Or a bit of cheese between the cracker and bacon would elevate these to next-level.
How to Cut Bacon for Club Crackers
Cut the bacon into short strips that are slightly longer than the cracker. If using club crackers, cut the bacon into 3 1/2 inch strips.
The bacon will shrink as it cooks, so this length takes shrinkage into account and leaves enough bacon to wrap just around the ends of each cracker.
If one end of the bacon is all fat, just cut it off and discard. (See my ingredients photo above for comparison to the one below).
Does the bacon wrap fully around both sides of the cracker? No, the bacon just goes across the top of each cracker and slightly around the ends. This way it doesn’t take as long to cook and the ratio of meat to cracker is ideal.
Steps to Make Bacon Club Crackers with Brown Sugar
- Pre-heat oven to 375°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and lightly spray a rack. Place the rack onto the baking sheet so the bacon grease has a place to drip, and set aside.
- Cut bacon strips into pieces that are about 3 1/2 inches long. (The bacon should be slightly longer than the cracker.)
- Place each cut piece of bacon onto a club cracker length-wise. Wrap the ends of the bacon around the ends of the cracker, pressing bacon onto the underside of each cracker so it stays wrapped around. (You can give the bacon a little stretch if necessary.) Place each bacon wrapped cracker onto the rack, leaving space in-between.
- Add 1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar on top of each bacon cracker. Using fingers, spread the sugar out so it covers the bacon.
- Using your fingers, sprinkle a small pinch of garlic powder across the brown sugar and add a crack of black pepper (or course pepper) to each cracker.
- Place crackers in oven and set timer for 15 minutes. At 15 minutes, rotate pan for even baking, and continue baking an additional 10-15, until bacon is crispy. Keep your eye on the crackers so they don’t get too crispy. If bacon needs more time, but crackers are getting too browned, cover lightly with foil the last few minutes.
- Let crackers cool on rack for 5 minutes, then remove to serving tray. Serve immediately.
Detailed recipe and instructions are in recipe card at bottom of post.
Recipe Notes
Cook on a rack, on top of a foil-lined tray. The rack allows bacon grease to drip down as they cook, and the foil makes cleanup a breeze.
Use thin bacon, not thick. Thin bacon cooks faster than thick, and since we’re putting already-baked crackers in the oven, we don’t want them to be in forever.
Don’t wrap bacon around both sides of the cracker. There’s no need to wrap a big slice of bacon all the way around a cracker. Bacon across the top and around the ends to hold it in place is plenty of bacon per cracker.
Cool the bacon crackers on the rack. Be sure to let the hot crackers cool for at least 5 minutes on the rack after taking them out of the oven. This gives the crackers a chance to firm back up (if needed) since they will have absorbed some bacon fat during the cooking process.
Can I re-heat bacon crackers?
Candied bacon crackers are best served a few minutes after coming out of the oven.
The bacon is hot and crisp and the entire crunchy treat is irresistible. Basically, they’re at the prime deliciousness.
For this reason, I strongly suggest only making as many bacon crackers as needed for the occasion.
However, if any remain, store them in the refrigerator and re-heat in a 275°F oven until warm and crispy. You may need to cover with foil to prevent burning. Avoid the microwave.
I personally have not re-heated them in an air fryer, but imagine this would be a good option too.
More Easy Appetizer Recipes with Crackers
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Brown Sugar Candied Bacon Club Crackers
Candied bacon crackers is a sweet and savory appetizer that features bacon-wrapped club crackers baked to crispy perfection. Each bite has just the right amount of sweet from brown sugar with a little spice from black pepper to make them truly irresistible. The recipe has just 3-5 ingredients and only takes about 10 minutes to assemble. Your party guests will love this bacon snack!
Ingredients
- 8-12 strips thin cut bacon
- 24 club crackers (use more depending on amount of bacon)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon course black pepper
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 375°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and lightly spray a rack. Place the rack onto the baking sheet so the bacon grease has a place to drip, and set aside.
- Cut bacon strips into pieces that are about 3 1/2 inches long. (The bacon should be slightly longer than the cracker.)
- Place each cut piece of bacon onto a club cracker length-wise. Wrap the ends of the bacon around the ends of the cracker, pressing bacon onto the underside of each cracker so it stays wrapped around. (You can give the bacon a little stretch if necessary.) Place each bacon wrapped cracker onto the rack, leaving space in-between.
- Add 1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar on top of each bacon cracker. Using fingers, spread the sugar out so it covers the bacon.
- Using your fingers, sprinkle a small pinch of garlic powder across the brown sugar and add a crack of black pepper (or course ground pepper) to each cracker.
- Place crackers in oven and set timer for 15 minutes. At 15 minutes, rotate pan for even baking, and continue baking an additional 10-15 additional, until bacon is crispy. Keep your eye on the crackers so they don't get too crispy. If bacon needs more time, but crackers are getting too browned, cover lightly with foil the last few minutes.
- Let crackers cool on rack for 5 minutes, then remove to serving tray. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Cook on a rack, on top of a foil-lined tray. The rack allows bacon grease to drip down as they cook, and the foil makes cleanup a breeze.
- Use thin bacon, not thick. Thin bacon cooks faster than thick, and since we're putting already-baked crackers in the oven, we don't want them to be in forever.
- Don't wrap bacon around both sides of the cracker. There's no need to wrap a big slice of bacon all the way around a cracker. Bacon across the top and around the ends to hold it in place is plenty of bacon per cracker.
- Cool the bacon crackers on the rack. Be sure to let the hot crackers cool for at least 5 minutes on the rack after taking them out of the oven. This gives the crackers a chance to firm back up (if needed) since they will have absorbed some bacon fat during the cooking process.