Next, lay out your bacon slices on the baking sheet, leaving a little space between each piece. I’ve found that using parchment paper not only makes cleanup a breeze but also ensures that the bacon doesn’t stick to the pan. Once you have your bacon arranged, I like to scoop a generous spoonful of the garlic cream cheese mixture onto one end of each bacon strip. The spread should be enough to provide flavor in every bite!
Now comes the fun part: start rolling the bacon around the cream cheese mixture, ensuring it’s tightly wrapped. I recommend securing them with toothpicks if they’re feeling loose, just to make sure they hold their shape while baking. Then, pop the baking sheet into your preheated oven and let those rollups bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until the bacon has reached your desired level of crispiness. The smells wafting through the kitchen during this time are simply delightful!
Once they’re out of the oven, let them cool for a minute or two before serving. Trust me, the wait will be worth it! The bacon will be crispy, the garlic butter filling will be warm and creamy, and you won’t be able to resist diving into these delicious rolls.
Pro Tips for Best Results
I tested this recipe three ways: with thick-cut bacon, thin bacon, and turkey bacon. While thick-cut gave me a delightful, chewy texture, I found that the thin bacon crisped up beautifully and cooked faster. So, choose based on your preference, but remember that cooking time may vary with thickness!
Also, when it comes to the cream cheese filling, feel free to play around with the garlic amount. The original recipe calls for 4 cloves, but if you’re like me and love the garlicky goodness, you might want to throw in an extra clove or two. After testing, I can say that my favorite was definitely the extra garlic version!
Lastly, don’t skip the parsley garnish at the end! Sprinkling some fresh herbs not only gives the rollups a vibrant look, but it also adds a lovely freshness that balances the richness of the bacon and cream cheese.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
One common mistake I made the first few times I prepared these rollups was not preheating the oven enough. If your oven isn’t hot enough, the bacon may not crisp up properly. The result? Soggy bacon where the fat hasn’t rendered correctly. Trust me, preheating is key!
Another thing to watch out for is overcrowding the baking sheet. I learned this the hard way when I tried to squeeze in too many rollups at once. Give each rollup some space; this allows them to cook evenly without steaming each other. That crispiness we crave is a result of good airflow around each rollup!
It’s also really tempting to skip the cooling time after baking. I get it—those rollups look so good! But allowing them to cool for a couple of minutes helps the filling set slightly, making for cleaner bites and avoiding that gooey mess. Hang in there; it will be worth the wait! (See the next page below to continue…)