This easy candied bacon lollipops recipe features thick-cut bacon glazed with a brown sugar and maple syrup mixture, generously sprinkled with black pepper and baked to glossy perfection.
I promise you, these unique appetizers will disappear fast and make a memorable impression! You and your guests will love the savory, salty, sweet, spicy flavors!
These fun bacon-on-a-stick small bites are perfect for party appetizers, holidays, brunch, buffets and game day gatherings.
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If you like the sweet and salty flavors of candied bacon, be sure to try:
- Millionaire’s Bacon
- Jalapeno Bacon
- Honey Bacon
- Crack Bacon
- Candied Bacon Wrapped Crackers
- Maple Candied Bacon
- and our #1 most popular recipe, Billionaire Bacon.
Why You’ll Go Hog Wild for This Recipe
Easy recipe: With just 4 ingredients, these maple bacon lollipops are simple to make and bake in the oven.
Fun presentation: Your guests will remember these fun, unusual candy bacon appetizers served on cute wooden sticks!
Extra tasty: You will not be bringing any leftovers home, and that’s a guarantee.
Ingredients and Substitutions
From the top, here’s what you’ll need to prepare these “pig candy” bites:
1/4 cup pure maple syrup – use real maple syrup for this recipe.
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup brown sugar – light or dark brown sugar works great, so the choice is yours.
8 slices thick-cut bacon – the thicker, the better! You can used smoked or unsmoked, and cured or uncured.
Equipment Needed
Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy candied bacon recipe:
- Wooden lollipop sticks
- Toothpicks
- Baking Sheet
- Aluminum foil
- Parchment paper
- Whisk
- Pastry brush
- Paper towels
Step by Step Instructions
Here’s how to make these fun appetizers, (and you’ll find more info in the printable recipe card at the end of the post).
STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking pan with foil topped with a piece of parchment paper. Whisk together the brown sugar, maple syrup and black pepper in a small bowl to make the glaze and set aside.
STEP TWO: Cut the thick bacon in pieces that are about 2 1/2 to 3 inches long.
STEP THREE: Skewer each piece of bacon several times with a toothpick:
STEP FOUR: Arrange the skewered pieces of bacon in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
STEP FIVE: Place in the oven and cook until bacon is just starting to brown and has rendered some fat.
STEP SIX: Blot with paper towels to absorb excess grease. Brush the bacon pieces generously with the glaze.
STEP SEVEN: Return to the oven and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from oven, turn bacon pieces over, blot with paper towels and brush with the remaining glaze. Return to the oven and cook until bacon is golden brown and crispy.
Exact cook times will depend on the thickness of your bacon. In our oven, total baking time was about 30 minutes.
STEP EIGHT: Cool for several minutes. Carefully remove toothpicks and replace with wooden lollipop sticks. Blot any excess grease. Serve and enjoy your delicious bacon lollipops!
PRO RECIPE TIP: The bacon pieces will harden as they cool. It’s easier to remove the toothpick and insert the lollipop stick when the bacon is warm, so you can pop the baking sheet back in the oven to reheat the bacon pieces for a minute or two if needed.
Recipe Variations
Bourbon bacon lollipops – Reduce the amount of maple syrup by 2 tablespoons, and add 2 tablespoons of your favorite bourbon to the glaze mixture.
Vanilla bacon lollipops – Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste to the glaze mixture and proceed with the recipe. Alternately, you can reduce the maple syrup by 1 teaspoon and add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to the glaze mixture.
Spicy bacon lollipops – Just before baking, sprinkle the glazed bacon pieces with cayenne pepper or chili powder.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Lay the lollipops on a piece of parchment paper and tuck inside a zip-top storage or freezer bag. Refrigerate, and eat within a day or two.
To reheat, arrange the lollipops on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F and cook the lollipops until hot, about 5 minutes.
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Printable Recipe Card
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Candied Bacon Lollipops
Equipment
- Toothpicks
- baking sheet
- aluminum foil
- parchment paper
- Whisk
- silicone pastry brush
- paper towels
Ingredients
- 8 slices thick-cut bacon
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking pan with foil topped with a piece of parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, maple syrup and black pepper to make the glaze and set aside.
- Cut the thick bacon in pieces that are about 2 1/2 to 3 inches long.
- Skewer each piece of bacon several times with a toothpick.
- Arrange the skewered bacon pieces on the prepared baking sheet.
- Place in the oven and cook until bacon is just starting to brown and has rendered some fat.
- Blot with paper towels to absorb excess grease. Brush the bacon pieces generously with the glaze.
- Return to the oven and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from oven, turn bacon pieces over, blot with paper towels and brush with the remaining glaze. Return to the oven and cook until bacon is golden brown and crispy.
- Cool for several minutes. Carefully remove toothpicks and replace with wooden skewers. Blot any excess grease. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
ADD YOUR OWN PRIVATE NOTES
Whenever you come back to this recipe, you’ll be able to see your notes!
Nutrition
Got questions? Just ask! I’m happy to help.
If you like bacon on a stick, be sure to check out our bacon skewers recipe!
If you post your creations on social media, tag #BENSABaconLovers so I can share! Thank you for your support. – Eliza
Nutrition Disclaimer: All nutritional information shared on this site is an approximation. I am not a certified nutritionist, and any nutritional information should be used as a general guideline.
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Perfect! I love this recipe! Thanks for the idea!
So glad to hear you like the recipe – thank you!
This is such a simple and perfect appetizer, love it!!
Sharon, thanks for your comment and so glad you like this easy appetizer recipe!
Omg candied bacon lollipops?? How fun! These look amazing – I can’t wait to try them soon!
Hope you LOVE these sweet, savory lollipops!
We are making these for our bloody mary bar! So cute!
Using these bacon lollipops in a Bloody Mary Bar is a brilliant idea! Thank you for sharing this.
This is such delicious party food! My guest absolutely loved them. I can’t wait to make again!
Gina, I love hearing that your party guests loved these glazed bacon lollipops! Thanks so much.