Ground Pork Peanut Butter Cookies

Yes, you read that right. Browned ground pork goes straight into these peanut butter cookies, and it works. This is old-school farmstead baking where nothing went to waste and every ingredient earned its spot.

The pork gets browned and drained first, then folded into a rich dough made with lard (not butter), two sugars, peanut butter, and a generous handful of orange zest. That zest is doing serious work here, cutting through the richness of the lard and pork with bright citrus fragrance. A touch of cinnamon ties the savory and sweet sides together.

The texture lands somewhere between a classic peanut butter cookie and a shortbread, thanks to the lard. Expect a tender, crumbly bite with little pops of browned pork throughout. Press them with a sugar-dipped fork for those classic crosshatch marks.

Pro Tips

• Brown the pork thoroughly and drain it well. Any excess grease will make the cookies spread too much and turn greasy.
• Keep these refrigerated. The lard and pork mean they don’t keep at room temperature the way an all-butter cookie would.
• Use natural peanut butter (not the overly sweetened kind) to keep the savory-sweet balance in check.
• Shape the dough into small balls. These are meant to be bite-sized, not jumbo cookies.

Variations

• Swap the ground pork for cooked, crumbled bacon for a smokier version.
• Replace the orange zest with lemon zest for a sharper citrus note.
• Add a drizzle of honey glaze after baking for extra sweetness on top.