By Christie Vanover | Published June 7, 2013 | Last Updated December 28, 2022

Does hosting a party stress you out? Here are my two rules to starting a party off right: 1) Give ‘em a drink early, and 2) Give ‘em bacon!
You want your guests happy and wowed right up front. You want your guests mingling. Pass around a platter of sweet, crunchy, BACONuts and problem solved. They’ll all be talking about this appetizer and looking for seconds. Everything else you serve will just be icing on the cake.
People worldwide are infatuated with bacon, so when Saucy Mama announced it as the first secret ingredient in the Sliced recipe contest, I knew this dish was going to be a party pleaser. As a contestant, I have to make an appetizer using bacon and one of their delectable mustards: Hatch Chili, Creamy Garlic or Dill.
While each flavor is great in its unique way, this recipe screamed for Hatch chiles. I have a special love for Hatch chiles. They’re grown in the Hatch Valley of New Mexico and the harvest is celebrated each fall with an esteemed festival.
Saucy Mama has bottled this goodness up with a twist of mustard. Using it in this appetizer gives the bacon and nuts an added flavor that you just can’t get from chili powder alone.
BACONuts
Ingredients
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 tablespoons Saucy Mama Hatch Chili Mustard
- 5 slices bacon
- 4 cups mixed nuts
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Chop the bacon.
- Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl.
- Spread the mixture onto a foil-lined pan.
- Bake in a 400-degree oven for about 18 minutes. Remove from oven and spread onto a sheet of wax paper to cool.
- Serve in muffin liners.
This estimate was created using an online nutrition calculator
Ellon St. Croix says
Oh, holy cannoli!
Abbi says
I just found u’r site & this recipe looks amazing & want to make it tomorrow for friends. What can I use in place of the specific mustard or what would be close to the same?
Thx!
zestuous says
Thanks Abbi. You could use honey mustard in place of the Hatch Chili Mustard. Enjoy!
Susan says
Love, love this recipe! Bacon candied nuts is one of my favorite things in the world, so adding in the mustard is the just a genius step! Thanks for sharing all our posts too! Best of luck!
zestuous says
Thanks Susan. I loved stuffed mushrooms. I’ve never thought to use kale. Love that idea!
Dee says
Do you cook the bacon first, or is it raw when it goes in the mix?
zestuous says
No. Just chop it up and mix the raw bacon in the bowl.