How to make maple-walnut bacon on a stick!

I recently attended a potluck party celebrating a friend's move, so given the situation, we were told to only bring finger food. Well, I thought, what better finger food is there than butter tarts?

I had stopped by 13th Street Bakery in St. Catharines, Ontario to pick up a some of their renowned tarts, when I spotted a new variety nestled in the bakery case: Bacon butter tarts. Are you kidding me?! These butter tarts blew me (and my friends) away with their salty-sweet decadence. Those butter tarts were the inspiration for these tasty maple-walnut bacon skewers. Enjoy them as an hors d'oeuvres, or as a brunch accompaniment — either way they're pretty heavenly. You know, I'm beginning to think that the virtues of bacon are endless.

Maple-walnut bacon skewers

Ingredients

• 16 wooden skewers
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup walnut pieces
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 8 slices thick-cut bacon

Instructions

• SOAK skewers in warm water for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with a wire rack.
• WHIRL brown sugar with walnuts in a food processor until ground. Whirl in 1 tbsp maple syrup.
• CUT bacon in half and lay in a single layer across rack. Thread a skewer through each bacon slice. Brush bacon with remaining maple syrup. Crumble walnut mixture over each slice of bacon.
• BAKE until fully cooked through, crisp and dark golden in colour, about 25 to 30 min. Carefully transfer to a paper towel-lined plate while bacon is still warm to prevent it from sticking to the tray. Once slightly cooled, but still warm, transfer to a platter. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.