Contest sponsored by the Texas Pecan Board

Bryan Texas Utilities member Luke Canatella received $1,000 as the winner of the Sweet category in the 2011 Texas Co-op Power Holiday Recipe Contest.

Canatella, who works for Luby’s Cafeterias as an account manager, loves to make pastries and play around with recipes. For this contest, he modified a breakfast cookie recipe he’d created, adding pecans and the special ingredient—bacon—to yield a hearty cookie with a salty-sweet taste and crunchy texture that wowed the judges.

He said he loves to “take a recipe and take it apart, then put it back together to make something everyone likes.”

Breakfast Cookies

2 cups unsalted butter, melted
2 cups light brown sugar packed lightly
3 cups granulated sugar, divided
6 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal
2 cups Texas pecan pieces
12 ounces bacon, cooked crisp and roughly chopped
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
4 cups regular corn flakes
1/8 cup cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large mixing bowl, mix butter, brown sugar, 2 cups granulated sugar, eggs and vanilla until well blended. Fold in oatmeal, pecans and bacon. Add flour, salt and baking powder, mixing well. Add corn flakes and mix until combined evenly. Do not over mix. Drop onto parchment paper using 4-ounce scoop. Leave at least one inch of space between cookies. Flatten each into 2-inch circle. Mix cinnamon and remaining sugar. Sprinkle atop each cookie. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until cookies are set but not crunchy.

Servings: 36. Serving size: 1 cookie. Per serving: 387 calories, 7.4 g protein, 18.3 g fat, 46.6 g carbohydrates, 1.7 g dietary fiber, 415 mg sodium, 39.1 g sugars, 68 mg cholesterol

Luke Canatella, Bryan Texas Utilities