Brown Sugar bacon party bites

Published 12:39 am Wednesday, March 2, 2016

8 slices thick-cut bacon

3 tablespoons maple syrup

Freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup grated mild cheddar

½ cup grated Gruyère

¼ cup grated Parmesan

¼ cup mayonnaise

2 scallions, trimmed and chopped fine

1 whole grain baguette

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

For the bacon, place a wire rack inside a large baking sheet and arrange bacon slices in a single layer. Bake until bacon begins to brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. During the final few minutes of cooking, remove the pan from the oven and drizzle a little brown sugar and maple syrup over each bacon slice. Sprinkle with pepper.

Bake until sugar caramelizes and bacon is golden brown and crispy, about 5 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined platter to cool. Crumble bacon, reserving some crumbles for garnish. Sprinkle with pepper.

Slice the baguette at an angle into ½-inch slices.

In a bowl, combine bacon, cheeses, mayonnaise and scallions. Spread on bread slices and place on a large baking sheet.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake until toasts are golden brown and bubbles, about 15 to 20 minutes.