When I was little, there wasn’t a problem that couldn’t be solved with a cookie. Even peace in the Middle East may have been possible far as I was concerned, if they had negotiated with a plate of cookies in their midst. All these years later, not much has changed. Every time I sink my teeth into a delicious cookie, that’s all I can think about and I feel small again. And for that fleeting moment things are okay in the world. Things are okay with the world.
I have a list of my favourite cookies which has changed a little through different stages of my life, but a good, chewy chocolate chip cookie has ALWAYS been right up there. I mean isn’t that a pretty universal sentiment anyway? These are currently my favourite chocolate chip cookies and I hope you are just as excited as I am about these Double Chocolate, Bacon and Black Pepper Cookies!
My favourite chocolate chip cookie as a kid was Chips Ahoy! I loved their fold-over adverts in the Archie and Betty comics (see below). When I was living in Sri Lanka, these cookies were hard to find (and expensive!), but whenever I did get my hands on some, I would make them last for as long as possible (which of course wasn’t nearly long enough!).
A few years ago , I discovered Ina Garten’s chocolate chunk cookie recipe. I had made chocolate chip cookies before, but I loved her idea of making cocoa cookies with nice chunks of chocolate in them. And once I tried her recipe, I was hooked. Over the years, I have tweaked it a little bit to my taste, and I also started playing around with different ingredients. My sister would often ask me to make these for her whenever I visited my parents and I would make the cookie dough and then freeze raw cookie dough balls so she could bake them whenever she wanted. I used to do this for myself too, but inevitably I would end up eating them like truffles as well. Haha! How good is cookie dough right?

The recipe I’m sharing with you today is for my favourite type (currently) of chocolate chip cookies. A dark chocolate cookie with deliciously sweet white chocolate and milk chocolate chunks/chips and salty, candied bacon bits and a hint of spice with black pepper! It’s an awesome combination. They are truly amazing! 😀
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Ingredients:
- 1 stick unsalted butter softened
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder unsweetened, sifted
- 1 cup wholewheat flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 5 oz white chocolate chopped (or chips)
- 5 oz milk chocolate chopped (or chips)
- 5 oz of candied black pepper bacon recipe below
- Extra black pepper to sprinkle on top optional
Candied Pepper Bacon (Please see Note)
- 1 lb bacon packet
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup black pepper
Instructions:
Candied Pepper Bacon
- Preheat the oven to 400°F/ 200°C.
- Lay out the bacon on a lined baking tray (or on a non-stick rack placed on a baking tray)
- Mix the black pepper and brown sugar well and sprinkle it on top of the bacon strips.
- Bake in the oven for about 10-15 minutes until the bacon starts to brown at the edges and the sugar has melted.
- Remove from the oven, and using tongs turn the bacon strips over and sprinkle more of the sugar-pepper mix (make more of the mix if needed).
- Return to the oven and bake for a further 10-15 minutes or until the bacon is crispy (check the oven periodically to make sure the bacon doesn't burn)
- Remove the bacon from the tray and let it cool. Weigh out 5 oz of the bacon and chop it into little bits (the size of chocolate chips)
- You can place any extra bacon strips in ziploc bags and place it in the fridge or freezer. Re-heat and use for sandwiches.
Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Line and prepare 2 cookie trays with parchment paper and set aside.
- Mix the salt, flour and baking soda together and set aside.
- In a large bowl, place the butter, vanilla and sugar (both brown and white) and cream them together until light and fluffy. You can use a hand held beater.
- Add the egg and mix well to incorporate.
- Add the cocoa powder and ¾ of the wholewheat flour mix and mix well to combine.
- Add the rest of the flour, chocolate chips, and cut bacon and fold through using a wooden spoon, making sure it is all incorporated well.
- Using a number 40, small scoop - scoop 6 portions onto the cookie tray spaced well apart. Sprinkle the tops with some crushed black pepper. Make sure the cookie tray is completely cool.
- Bake in a preheated oven for exactly 12 minutes. Remove from oven, and let it cool for a few minutes. Transfer the cookies onto a wire rack and let it cool completely.
- Repeat with the second cookie tray, while the first cookie tray cools down to be used again.
- Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days or longer in the fridge.
Tips & Tricks
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”

As amazing as these cookies are on their own, they were destined for something even greater than just being eaten with a glass of milk. And I will tell you all about that soon! 🙂
Every bite of this cookie is amazingly chocolatey and the wholemeal flour gives the cookie a fantastic nutty flavour and texture. The salty bacon bits might get lost visually in the dark brown cookie but that I think makes them even more of a surprise when you do bite into them! On top of that you get this subtle heat (from the black pepper) spreading through your mouth when you chew the cookie which also dials down the sweetness a little. That contrast of flavours is incredible!
These cookies are like small single serving-sized goodies packed with an amazing flavour profile. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee, morning tea, evening tea… you can eat and savour a cookie, no matter what time of day it is. Isn’t that a beautiful thing? 🙂
Do you know how to make cookies even better? Make Ice Cream Sandwiches! In this picture, I used these cookies with Buttermilk Pancake Ice Cream with Blackberry chips. This ice cream sandwich is my favourite breakfast for dessert ice cream 🙂
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Thalia @ butter and brioche says
I am loving the addition of black pepper and bacon to these cookies – the sweet and salty flavour is my favourite kind!
Dini says
Thank you Thalia! 🙂 I love Sweet and salty too! I really like the hint of the spice yo get, as you keep munching on this too 🙂 Your Miso cupcakes are the next sweet and salty dessert I want to try!
Angie says
Yes, cookies solve everything! And bacon improves everything!! You are just killing me over here, Dini! 😀
Dini says
hahaha! 😀 Thank you Angie! I completely agree that bacon can improve anything!
tentimestea says
The black pepper sounds delicious!!
I’m nto super big on bacon in desserts, but these cookies sound great and so very creative… I can’t stop thinking about how good that black pepper must be 🙂
Natalie says
Bacon and black pepper in chocolate cookies?! Sounds wonderfully delicious!
Jess@CookingisMySport says
I never would’ve thought to put black pepper into cookies, but it sounds really worth a try.
As you said, there’s no problem that can’t be solved with cookies. I’m pretty sure wars could be over if everyone would just bring cookies to peace talks.
I kid, but…not really lol
These looks great- Happy FF 🙂
Julie @ HostessAtHeart says
I think my son in-law would kill for one of these! I bet the sweet salty combo is amazing.
Kaila (GF Life 24/7) says
I love the idea of adding bacon. These look so tasty! I never know that Chips Ahoys used to (or still do?) have cartoons in them either! Happy FF, and have a wonderful weekend. 🙂
Michelle @ A Dish of Daily Life says
I would have never thought of this combo, but they look delicious! Pinning and sharing!
Dini says
Thank you so much Michelle! 🙂 really appreciate it!
Michelle @ Giraffes Can Bake says
Love love LOVE this flavour combo! You can’t beat sweet and salty together, and I love the addition of a little heat.
My mum is baffled by putting bacon in sweet things, she refused to try it on my elvis cake and just picked it off! And when I saw this I said to her “see! I’m not the only one who does it!”, that didn’t seem to change her mind. Oh well, her loss haha
Dini says
hahaha!! 😀 I just about drooled everywhere when I saw your cake. That Bacon on top was just beautiful! I hope you can convince your mum soon… it’s too good of a thing to miss!
Caroline says
Oh wow, these sound so tasty! And I’m not even much of a cookie person.
Dini says
Thank you Caroline 🙂
Amanda@ChewTown says
Ummmm…. what amazing sounding cookies!! I need these in my life right now.
Amanda says
Oooooooh what an interesting and DELICIOUS looking cookie!!! Anything with bacon in it has my immediate attention 😉
mila furman says
What in God’s name!?!? This looks INCREDIBLE! You evil little cook you!
Dini says
Aw Shucks Mila! I do like being a little Evil ;D hahaha!
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says
Double chocolate, bacon and black pepper cookies?! OH MY GOSH 😀
Katie @ Recipe for Perfection says
This is crazy! Bacon & black pepper? Totally wild. You’ve made my Monday, Dini. 🙂
(PS- Stumbled!)
Dini says
Thank you Katie 🙂 (For the comment and the stumble!) The black pepper gives it a nice & subtle heat that I love!