“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. . . ” Psalm 145:18
Sweet Granny’s Grilled Cheese Sandwiches are the ultimate comfort food with a little ‘bougieness’. Candied bacon and Granny Smith Apples makes this classic sandwich into an extraordinary meal.
I came up with this sandwich from a meal that my husband and I had visiting Greenville, South Carolina. The place we ate was at a cute little restaurant in downtown Greenville. It was a very cold and rainy evening, and a little comfort food was in order.
We ordered a side of truffle fries to start. I ordered a chef salad with grilled salmon. Anyone who knows me, knows I find comfort in a salad. 😋 My husband ordered this fancy grilled cheese sandwich, which I was a little surprised because he’s not really into ‘fancy’ but he enjoyed it very much to the point he said I should recreate it for my blog… 🤯 So of course, I did, but as you know, I had to make it my own. And viola! Here is my take on the Sweet Granny’s Grilled Cheese Sandwich.
Where did the name Sweet Granny’s Grilled Cheese Sandwich come from?
To be honest with you, naming my recipes is sometimes the hardest thing about creating the recipe. You want a catchy name without it being ostentatious. Of course, a recipe creator wants to impress you with their food but you don’t want to be outrageous either.
So where did I get the name “Sweet Granny’s Grilled Cheese Sandwich” from? My husband. Since it was his idea to make this sandwich for this blog and I could not think of a good name to represent this sandwich, who else would be better to name it.
Obviously, the name is a play on the ingredients of this sandwich. Sweet Granny’s Grilled Cheese Sandwich is a little sweet from the candied bacon and apricot preserves and a little ‘granny’ from the shaved Granny Smith apples.
Why so many ingredients?
The original sandwich my husband had actually had more ingredients than this one I recreated. It had bacon jam and goat cheese.
I thought about making a bacon jam for this sandwich but I thought it would be easier to have candied bacon and caramelized onions instead. It still gives the sandwich the sweet and savory without it being too much. I didn’t add the goat cheese because I thought it had enough cheese with the cheddar and havarti.
I was contemplating not adding the apricot preserves but at the last minute I decided to go ahead and do it. I’m glad I did, it adds a nice flavor and texture to the Sweet Granny’s Grilled Cheese Sandwich.
What Do I Need to Make Sweet Granny’s Grilled Cheese Sandwich?
You will need a medium skillet, large skillet, cutting board, knife, baking sheet with rack, aluminum foil, teaspoon, spatula, tongs, vegetable peeler and the following ingredients:
Mama Fawn’s Tips. . .
- Using aluminum foil to line your pans when making the candied bacon will help with the hassle of cleaning the pan and maybe even saving it from the garbage.
- After the bacon is finished, I (carefully) lift the bacon from the rack with tongs to help the bacon from not sticking to the rack.
- Don’t try to rush the caramelized onions, it may take a while but it is well worth it.
- You can substitute any hearty bread for this recipe. Also, day-old or older bread works well.
- I love the combination of cheddar and havarti but you can change it up with any cheese combo. You can even use goat cheese, if you desire. 😆
- Keep an eye on your sandwiches while they are cooking. Super easy for them to burn.
- You can easily double the servings of this recipe.
- For the best results, eat while it is still warm.
- If you do not have a vegetable peeler for the apple, you can cut the apple very thinly with a knife.
Sweet Granny’s Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Course: RecipesCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy3
servings20
minutes30
minutes300
kcalIngredients
1 sweet onion, sliced thin
6 slices of bacon
6 tbsp brown sugar
1 stick butter, softened; divided
6 slices Italian bread
3 tsp apricot preserves
6 slices cheddar cheese
6 slices havarti cheese
1 Granny Smith apple, shaved with a vegetable peeler
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- In a medium skillet, melt 2 tbsp butter over medium/medium low heat. Add the sliced onions and cook for about 20-25 minutes until the onions are very soft and golden brown; stirring every few minutes. Set aside.
- Place a wire rack on a foil lined baking sheet. Arrange the bacon slices on the rack (do not overlap). Lightly pat a tablespoon of the brown sugar on the top of each slice of bacon to create a thin layer. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the bacon is crisp but not burnt. Remove from the oven and lift each slice of bacon to make sure it isn’t sticking. Leave on the rack and cool for 10 minutes. Remove the bacon to a paper towel lined rack or plate. Set aside.
- To arrange the sandwiches, spread softened butter on one side of the Italian bread. Take three (3) of the slices of buttered bread and on the opposite side of the butter bread spread one teaspoon of the apricot preserves. It will be a very thin layer. Lay 2 slices of cheddar cheese on top of the apricot preserves. Next, add two slices of the candied bacon. Spread the caramelized onions evenly over the bacon. Sprinkle the shaved apple over the onions. Add the 2 slices of havarti cheese on top of the onions and top with a slice of buttered bread, the buttered side up.
- Heat a large skillet over medium/medium low heat and melt enough of the softened butter in the bottom of the pan to coat it. Place the sandwich in the pan and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until golden brown. Flip the sandwiches and cook until the other side of the bread is golden brown. Remove from the pan. Enjoy!
