Whipped Goat Cheese With Smoky Bacon Jam

4.9
(7)
6 Reviews

This will be your new go-to appetizer.

By
Ivy Odom
Ivy Odom, Editorial Producer for Southern Living
Ivy Odom
Ivy is an Editorial Producer for Dotdash Meredith and hosts an array of lifestyle videos. She also authors a bi-monthly recipe column for Southern Living. Ivy has over four years of experience as on-camera talent across multiple platforms, including TikTok, Snapchat, television, and other social channels, as well as extensive producing and editing experience for TikTok.
Southern Living's editorial guidelines
Updated on January 5, 2024
Recipe tested by
Southern Living Test Kitchen
Southern Living Test Kitchen
Recipe tested by Southern Living Test Kitchen

The Southern Living Test Kitchen has been publishing recipes since 1970, four years after the first issue of Southern Living Magazine appeared on newsstands. The Southern Living Test Kitchen team includes a team of professionals with deep expertise in recipe development, from pastry chefs and grilling experts to nutritionists and dietitians. Together, the team tests and retests, produces, styles, and photographs thousands of recipes each year in the state-of-the-art test kitchen facility located in Birmingham, Alabama.

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Active Time:
30 mins
Total Time:
30 mins
Servings:
8

Before joining the staff at Southern Living, I worked as a cook at a well-known restaurant in Atlanta. We had an extremely popular menu item that featured a platter of buttery toast points for dipping into jars of savory goodies: egg salad topped with caviar, smoked fish dip with pickles, and—the hands-down crowd favorite—pimiento cheese with bacon jam. Night after night, it felt like I never stopped preparing that dish. At the end of each shift, despite being nearly cross-eyed from making it for hours, I couldn’t stop myself from scooping up a bite of the leftover jam with anything I could find, from potato chips to carrot sticks.

By the time my stint at the restaurant was over, I had eaten so much bacon jam that I should have never wanted to touch it again. Nope, not quite—I still crave it.

Southern Living Bacon Jam on top of whipped goat cheese with crostini to serve

Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley

This recipe for Whipped Goat Cheese with Smoky Bacon Jam (creamy, salty, crunchy, and entirely irresistible) is an homage to that beloved dip. While I enjoy this version spooned over goat cheese, it’s perfectly acceptable to use the bacon jam as a topper for whatever you like—sandwiches, veggies, and more. However you decide to serve it, I hope it becomes something that you’ll keep coming back to...just maybe not every evening.

Ingredients

  • 8 oz. thick-cut bacon (about 6 slices), chopped

  • 1 cup chopped yellow or sweet onion (from 1 small onion)

  • 3 Tbsp. light brown sugar

  • 1 tsp. smoked paprika

  • 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

  • 8 oz. goat cheese, softened

  • 4 oz. cream cheese, softened

  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil

  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

  • Fresh thyme leaves

  • Easy Fried Crackers (recipe follows) or crostini

Directions

  1. Cook bacon in a 10-inch skillet over medium, stirring occasionally, until fat renders and edges start to crisp, about 9 minutes. Remove from heat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Pour drippings into a heatproof measuring cup. Add 2 tablespoons drippings back to skillet; reserve remaining drippings for another use.

  2. Add onion and cooked bacon to skillet; cook over medium, stirring often, until onion is golden brown, about 8 minutes.

  3. Stir brown sugar, 1 tablespoon water, smoked paprika, and Worcestershire into bacon mixture; cook, stirring constantly, until syrupy and combined, 15 to 30 seconds. Remove from heat; transfer mixture to a heatproof measuring cup or bowl. Let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

  4. Beat goat cheese, cream cheese, oil, and salt with an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 30 seconds.

  5. Spread goat cheese mixture inside a shallow bowl. Top with Smoky Bacon Jam, and garnish with thyme leaves. Serve with Easy Fried Crackers or crostini.

Easy Fried Crackers

Level up your snack board with these tasty bites. Heat 4 cups canola oil in a skillet over medium-high heat to 350°F. Working in batches, fry 1 sleeve of saltine crackers until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per batch. Let drain and dry on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

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