the candied bacon:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire cooling rack on top. Spray the rack with cooking spray.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and the cayenne pepper. Add the bacon strips and toss to coat well. Place the bacon strips onto the cooling rack on the foil lined baking sheet and place in the oven. Cook the bacon until crisp and glazed by the sugar, 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Chop and set aside.

the bourbon maple caramel:

Place the sugar in an even layer into a small saucepan. Add the water and heat the pan to medium-low heat. Cook, without stirring, until the edges of the sugar-water begin to liquefy and bubble, about 10-12 minutes. At this point, begin stirring the sugar water until all the sugar has dissolved and the liquid has become a lovely amber color, 20-25 minutes. Watch out! The change tends to happen rather quickly. Remove from heat and slowly incorporate the heavy cream, whisking the entire time. The mixture will bubble up rapidly, this is perfectly normal.

Whisk in the remaining ingredients and return the pan to medium-low heat for about 4 minutes, whisking frequently to dissolve any clumps that may have formed. Remove from heat, set aside and allow to cool. Caramel will thicken as it cools.

the peach filling:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8”x 9” high-lipped baking dish.

To peel the peaches, cut a small X on the bottom of the peaches. Blanche the peaches by submerging in hot, simmering water, then plunging in ice water. The peels will peel off quite easily! Combine the peaches, flour, sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Gently toss until peaches are thoroughly coated.

Spread the peaches evenly into the prepared baking dish. Set aside.

the pecan topping:

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon, salt and pecans until thoroughly combined. Add the butter and, using a rubber spatula, break the butter up into the pecan mixture until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over the peaches in the prepared baking dish. Press down lightly.

Bake the crisp until the pecan topping is golden-brown and the peach juices are bubbling around the edges, 35-40 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Serve portions warm with a scoop of dulce de leche ice cream. Drizzle the maple bourbon caramel over the top and sprinkle about a tablespoon of candied bacon on top. Now, get ready to indulge like you’ve never done before! YUM!!