Maple Bacon Crispy Squares with Chocolate

   I'm just sitting here sweating.......bleh. Anywho, let's talk about Canada. No lies, I love living in this country for a lot of reasons, but lets keep these brief(ish)-lets just talk about our food! 
   I wanted to make a Canada Day treat to honour our countries birthday, and the usual things come to mind: red and white like our flag (strawberry shortcake, anyone?), but I'm not much for being predictable, so I thought, "tastes of Canada?" Out west? Beef. Out east? Seafood. Quebec? Poutine...none of these things screamed "make me into a dessert!" The idea just made me a little ill actually...and made my husband laugh at me.
   I dunno...anyway, I thought about one of my favourite foods...maple syrup! Oh man, this country can produce maple syrup like its nobodies business! O.k, so, moving on from maple syrup, us Canadians love bacon (we're only 7th in the world as far as producers of it, but that's not too bad!). And maple bacon is a favourite among many (my husband excluded!). A lot of people appreciate a plate with pancakes, bacon, and the syrup being "allowed" to touch both! 
   So, we've got maple syrup, bacon, and what else could we add...not 'exactly' Canadian, but we eat it a lot in this Canadian house: chocolate! :)  Phew, that took a lot of thinking on this hot, hot day! So, speaking of hot, let's not use the oven at all for this dessert!!!  I'm melting!!!!!! O.k., we've got to cook some bacon, but that's not too bad!

Maple Bacon Crispy Squares with Chocolate

Ingredients:

• 1/4 Cup butter
• 1/4 Maple syrup
• 4+2 Cups mini marshmallows
• 4 Cups Rice Krispies Cereal
• 6 Pieces bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 2 Cups chocolate chips
• 3 Tbsp milk

Method:

1. Prepare a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper with overhang as handles, set aside.
2. Place the butter into a large, microwaveable safe bowl. Heat for about one minute, until the butter is melted
3. Add the maple syrup and heat again in the microwave until hot and bubbly about 1-1 1/2 minutes more.
4. Once hot and bubbly, add the 4 cups of marshmallows, and heat until the marshmallows are puffy, about one minute.
5. Stir up all this warm goodness until smooth.
6. Add the crispy rice cereal, and mix well. 
7. Add the additional 2 cups of mallows and mix lightly. 
8. Add half of the cooked bacon, and stir to combine.
9. Press this mixture into the prepped baking dish, set aside
10. Melt the chocolate and milk in a small microwavable bowl for 2-3 minutes, stopping to stir it every 3o seconds.
11. Once melted, pour and spread over the crispy base, then sprinkle with remaining bacon.
12. Cover and let set in the fridge for a few hours.
13. Once set, cut into squares and enjoy!

   So, these squares have a hint of salty, smokey bacon, a hint of maple syrup, and a lovely chocolate top keeping it all real. 
   If you're heading to a Canada Day party, make these to bring along! Some people will love them, and some people won't even try them! Haha, just being honest! 
   Any maple & bacon lovers or haters out there? Share your feelings!