Today In Trends: What Is Coconut Bacon?

No matter how devout a vegan you are, if you'd ever eaten bacon before you gave up animal products, you may never get its delicious memory out of your head. While there are a handful of processed textured vegetable protein products that mimic bacon, it's not exactly the kind of stuff you'd stir into vegan maple doughnut batter. Enter: coconut bacon, the kind of stuff you would stir into vegan maple doughnut batter (and sprinkle on top) and put on parade for all to savor.

Crisp, salty and smoky with just a little sweetness to balance it out, coconut bacon is made with large unsweetened coconut flakes or "chips" (not the fine shreds you bake with). Tossed with a little soy sauce, liquid smoke, maple syrup and maybe a little black pepper for good measure and baked until golden-brown, these little shards of vegan deliciousness are hard to be mad at. Try them in salads, atop your favorite baked goods or simply right off the baking sheet, although you can pretty much assume that this pig-candy substitute won't have the same effect as the genuine article. Just ask Bacon Baby.