Feb 11, 2013, Updated Jan 17, 2024
These gooey, cheesy, bacon-crowned slices are called Cheese Humps for a good reason: when you make them the way it was done in the 80s – with a thick slather of Kraft Cheez Whiz – they’d puff up like a balloon and make an inflated, cheesy hump.
I assume because Cheez Whiz is practically plastic? Ok, maybe that’s not fair. But I do see a long ingredient list, with “cheese culture” being the only cheese-like substance, and it’s way down at the bottom with paprika – meaning there’s not much in there…Photo via instagram
Out of nowhere this morning, I had a major craving for this comfort food of my childhood. I whipped up a no-fuss, thick cheese sauce (I almost spelled cheese with a “z” – Kraft has good marketing!) out of simmering milk with grated cheddar and butter whisked in. It was a perfect stand-in for Cheez Whiz.
You spread the cheese sauce on slices of bread, top with cooked bacon, and broil – watching very closely – until the cheese puffs up and becomes blackened in places.
The result is toasted, crunchy crust with a super-soft interior and bubbling, slightly charred cheese with creamy, piping hot sauce underneath. And bacon. Of course, bacon. So satisfying.
Photo via instagram
If you did decide to make them with processed cheese spread, I WOULD NOT JUDGE. That puffy cheese hump (like the occasional grilled cheese made with melty processed cheese slices) is worth sometimes turning a blind eye on ingredients…
Ingredients
1/3 cup milk 4 oz (2 very loosely packed cups) grated cheddar cheese 1 tbsp butter 4 slices bread 4 slices cooked bacon
Preparation
