Candied Bacon Boursin Crackers are the perfect mix of sweet, salty and spicy flavors! They are one of the most unique and flavor packed appetizers you can make. Crispy cracker's are topped with creamy Boursin cheese, candied bacon, and a pinch of red pepper flakes for the ultimate appetizer!
Candied Bacon Boursin Crackers Recipe
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We think it's fair to say bacon makes everything better! These candied bacon Boursin crackers are one of the easiest and flavorful appetizers you can make. If you can spread cheese on a cracker and cut some bacon strips into pieces you can make these.
It only takes 5 ingredients and about 5 minutes of prep to make the most irresistible appetizer. Please don't blame us if you and your friends devour these in seconds!!! You can always make a second batch... better yet just make a double batch right away!
What are Candied Bacon Boursin Crackers
Candied bacon Boursin cracker are a fun and unique appetizer. Crispy crackers are topped with a layer of herb and garlic goat cheese (Boursin) and a piece of bacon. Brown sugar is sprinkled over top of the bacon along with a pinch of red pepper flakes. When baked, the sugar candies the bacon and becomes sweet, sticky and salty. The pepper flakes add a bit of spice and the creamy cheese adds an irresistible flavor. Ok... we are officially hungry again, back to the kitchen we go to make another batch!
More Fun Finger Foods
- Bacon Pepper Jelly Cheese Dip
- Toasted Ravioli (Olive Garden Copycat)
- Carbonara Deviled Eggs
- Coconut Shrimp (Red Lobster Copycat)
Ingredients
- Bacon - for the bacon to cook evenly we recommend using regular or thinsliced bacon. Thick cut will not cook fast enough.
- Crackers - any thick rectangle shaped cracker will work for this recipe. For example, clubhouse, townhouse, toppables, or if you cannot find rectangle you could use Ritz. Rectangle shape is great because the strips of bacon fit perfectly on them. Please do not use saltine crackers as they are too thin and will be mushy when the bacon fat renders out.
- Brown Sugar - this is what candies the bacon. It adds the most irresistible flavor to the bacon.. who knew bacon could get even better once it's candied!
- Goat Cheese (Boursin) - any goat cheese will work for this recipe, or even cream cheese. We love to use garlic and herb Boursin.
- Red Pepper Flakes - a pinch of red pepper flakes gives these crackers a bit of spice! This appetizer is the perfect mix of sweet, salty, and spicy flavors. You can omit this if you prefer or only put the pepper flakes on half the batch!
How to Make Candied Bacon Boursin Crackers
Full Printable Recipe at Bottom of page
- Preheat oven to 300℉ degrees. Place a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment or aluminum foil. We use a lower baking temperature so that when the bacon cooks the fat will render slowly and maintain its shape.
- Spread an even layer of cheese on each cracker to cover the cracker fully. Place each cracker on the wire rack.
- Depending on the size of cracker used, cut the bacon into 3 or 4 pieces. Measure so that the pieces are long enough to lay flat on top of the entire cracker. The bacon will shrink slightly when cooking. Tip: You can stretch the bacon to cover the entire cracker when you place it on top of the cheese if needed.
- Place one piece of bacon on top of each cheese covered cracker.
- Sprinkle the brown sugar over top of all the pieces of bacon. Top with a pinch of red pepper flakes.
- Place the sheet pan in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. As oven temperatures vary as well as cuts of bacon, check them at 30 minutes. The edges of the cracker will start to brown, the sugar will be caramelized, and the bacon will be fully cooked.
- Allow to cool until cool enough to handle, then carefully transfer the crackers to a serving platter (note that the melted sugar will be very hot once it comes out of the oven). Do not leave the crackers to cool completely on the wire rack or else they may stick and break when you try to remove them.
- Serve warm or at room temperature and enjoy!
Tips for the Best Appetizer
- Crackers - it is important to use a thick cracker. This is why we recommend club crackers, or townhouse, or toppables. Using a rectangle cracker like one of these makes it the perfect shape for the strip of bacon. In a pinch you could also use Ritz crackers because they are thick and just cut the pieces of bacon a bit smaller. Do not use saltine crackers, or rice crackers, or any other thin cracker as they will be mushy.
- Bacon - it is important to use regular sliced bacon (or if you prefer for a slightly healthier recipe, thin sliced). The bacon needs time to cook down and have the fat rendered out. If you use thick sliced bacon it will take too long to cook and the crackers will burn.
- Flavor Variations - you can get creative with the flavor profile of these appetizer bites by changing the type of cheese used. You can try different flavors of Boursin such as their apple and maple flavor, cranberry and black pepper, or you can use a flavored cream cheese!
FAQ
Leftovers can be served warm or at room temperature. To reheat leftovers, place them on a wire rack on a baking sheet and heat them in the oven at 350°F for 3-4 minutes or until heated through, or Air Fry at 350°F for 2-3 minutes.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Or store in an airtight container or Ziploc bag in the freezer for up to 2 months.
You can freeze cooked leftover crackers and reheat from frozen in the air fryer or oven.
Yes, you can assemble them the night before but do not add the brown sugar as it will dissolve overnight in the fridge. Just before baking top the crackers with the brown sugar and then follow the baking directions.
Use gluten free crackers and ensure the brand of bacon used is certified gluten free.
Use a dairy free spreadable cheese.
More Bacon Lover Recipes!
- Bacon Pepper Jelly Cheese Dip
- Bacon Egg and Cheese Breakfast Ring
- Bacon Wrapped Armadillo Eggs
- Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin
Enjoy!
- Sab
Candied Bacon Boursin Crackers
Ingredients
- 1 ½ sleeves rectangle crackers (club, townhouse, Toppables, or Ritz, NOT saltines, approximately 40 crackers)
- 1 package Boursin cheese (150 grams, 5.2 ounces, garlic and flavor, or flavor of choice)
- 12-13 slices bacon (thin or regular, regular or low sodium)
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300℉ degrees. Place a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment or aluminum foil. We use a lower baking temperature so that when the bacon cooks the fat will render slowly and maintain its shape.
- Spread an even layer of the 1 package Boursin cheese on each cracker from the 1 ½ sleeves rectangle crackers to cover the cracker fully. Place each cracker on the wire rack.
- Depending on the size of cracker used, cut the 12-13 slices bacon into 3 or 4 pieces. Measure so that the pieces are long enough to lay flat on top of the entire cracker. The bacon will shrink slightly when cooking. Tip: You can stretch the bacon to cover the entire cracker when you place it on top of the cheese if needed.
- Place one piece of bacon on top of each cheese covered cracker.
- Evenly distribute and sprinkle the ½ cup brown sugar over top of all the pieces of bacon (about ½ teaspoon per piece of bacon). Top each piece with a pinch of the 2 tablespoon red pepper flakes.
- Place the sheet pan in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. As oven temperatures vary as well as cuts of bacon, check them at 30 minutes. The edges of the cracker will start to brown, the sugar will be caramelized, and the bacon will be fully cooked.
- Allow to cool until cool enough to handle, then carefully transfer the crackers to a serving platter (note that the melted sugar will be very hot once it comes out of the oven). Do not leave the crackers to cool completely on the wire rack or else they may stick and break when you try to remove them.
- Serve warm or at room temperature and enjoy!
Nutrition
Kathryn says
Looks delicious but I can't eat pork because I am highly allergic. Can you use turkey bacon in this recipe?
Sabrina says
Yes you can use turkey bacon. As the turkey bacon is thinner, less fatty, and cooks faster you should reduce the cooking time by half and check the bacon often so it does not over cook or burn. Enjoy! 🙂
Terri Wylie says
Made this for Thanksgiving and my family went crazy over them.. so I just made them again (at a special request from my nephew!) for Christmas dinner apps!!
Renee says
Do these need to be refrigerated? I did try this recipe, and while the flavor is great, the "crispness" was just not there. They seemed a little more soggy than what I was hoping for. But yes they had great flavor! I had leftovers from the party and was not ate if they needed to be refrigerated or not since the bacon was already cooked. Please advise.
Sabrina says
Yes they need to be refrigerated overnight.
Robin Burich says
I put it on bottom rack of oven and they were crisp