Humans love sweet and salty foods together. Science proves it. But to the real fans among us, this flavor combination isn’t just a particular style of dessert. It’s a lifestyle.
Sure, everyone enjoys chocolate pretzel bites at the end of the day, but some of us need our best-of-both-worlds fix 24/7. We need it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And we won’t apologize for it. Instead, we’ll cook up these sweet and salty dishes.
1. Potato Chip Crusted French Toast Sticks
Some mornings you wake up and need that sweet and salty hit instantly. You think of making chocolate potato chip bars, but you just can’t bring yourself to eat them for breakfast. When this happens, these French toast sticks have your back. They’re basically an excuse to eat dessert and potato chips at the same time before 12 pm.
2. Bacon Pancake Dippers
If you favor pancakes over French toast, you can still enjoy a sweet and salty breakfast with these dippers. We’ve all heard of bacon-wrapped goodies, but how often do you get to eat a sweet treat stuffed with an entire piece of bacon. More importantly, how often do you get to eat it for breakfast?
3. Candied Bacon Twists
Some may argue that candied bacon should only be enjoyed for dessert, but bacon is for breakfast. Candied bacon makes it a better breakfast. If you really want bacon for dessert, make it into brittle.
4. Peanut Butter and Bacon Sandwich
Bacon also makes a great addition to your classic peanut butter sandwich. Sure a spoonful of peanut butter is already the perfect sweet and salty bite, but take it to the next level by lathering it on some bread and topping it off with bacon bits for even more complex flavor. You could even throw some pickles on there for extra crunch and saltiness.
5. Bacon-Wrapped Dates with Goat Cheese and Rosemary
Crunchy and meaty bacon, creamy and salty goat cheese, and sweet and chewy dates melted together into a simple but classy party appetizer. In one single bite, you experience multiple levels of flavor and texture. If you don’t feel like wrapping each of the dates, bake them into a pie instead.
6. Puff Pastry Wrapped Brie
Speaking of sophisticated appetizers, cheese and crackers get a sweet makeover with this bundle of melty, cheesy goodness. Baked cheese wrapped in puff pastry sounds good enough, but the jam and maple syrup bring out the sweetness in the brie and balance out its saltiness. To make it even fancier, try your hand at homemade jam.
7. Cheesy Sweet Potato Wedges
We all love cheese fries, but flavor wise, they are pretty one note. By replacing regular potatoes with sweet potatoes, you can add some extra sweetness (and vitamins) to this salty snack. Take it to the next level by adding chili on top.
8. Cheez-It Fried Chicken and Waffles
Chicken and waffles may be the ultimate decadent sweet and salty meal, but for some people, it’s just not enough. Coating the chicken in Cheez-Its ensures you’ll get a crunchy, salty waffle, while the addition of spices like cayenne gives it a nice spicy kick. You’ll never go back to plain chicken and waffles ever again.
9. Chicken and Waffle Cones
Even if you don’t have time for a sit down meal, you can enjoy this sweet and salty classic for dinner. This recipe keeps it simple and quick with pre-made waffle cones, but if you have some extra time, step it up with cinnamon roll waffle cones.
10. S’mores Chicken and Waffles
If you prefer it more sweet than salty, take this s’mores spin on chicken and waffles. Nothing sounds more decadent than chicken and waffles covered in marshmallows and chocolate, and since it’s technically dinner, feel free to finish it off with some s’mores dip for dessert.