Salty Bacon Chewy Chip Cookies

8 slices bacon (cut to ½ cup bacon crumbles)

2 cups all-purpose flour, slightly heaping

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1½ sticks butter (¾ cup)

1 cup (packed) light brown sugar

1/3 cup (packed) dark brown sugar

1 vanilla bean (5-6 inches in size, about 1 teaspoon of seeds)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 extra large egg yolk

1 extra large egg

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1 cup peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place bacon on cookie sheet. Bake 20 minutes or until crisp. Move to paper towels to drain and cool before crumbling.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in the middle. Mix the flour, baking powder and kosher salt with a whisk in a medium bowl; set aside. In a large bowl, melt the butter about 30 seconds in microwave and let cool slightly. Add brown sugars. Beat with a hand mixer for two minutes or until creamy. Add the vanilla bean seeds, extract and egg yolk. Beat for 30 seconds or until well-blended. Add the whole egg. Beat another minute. Add the bacon, dry ingredients and chips and mix by hand until all ingredients incorporated.

Scoop dough by rounded tablespoon. Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper leaving plenty of room between cookies (6-7 cookies per standard sheet). Bake for 13-15 minutes (on middle rack or if cooking two sheets/two racks at a time, rotate cookie sheets halfway through baking time). Remove from the oven and let sit on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Move from cookie sheet onto cooling rack.

Steven Holben