It's been a while, yes, and I will not do that thing your friends do where they tell you they've been sooooooo busy and that's why they haven't called/emailed/hung out, when all they've really been doing is upping their score on computer solitaire and watching bad TV while you've been working three jobs and putting yourself through grad school. I will, however, say hello (Hello!) and offer you a recipe that I think might be the greatest thing I've ever done. Notice I said the greatest thing I've ever done. Not baked, done. I'm serious; this probably trumps anything I've ever accomplished in school, at work, and in all those other places where one typically receives accolades. I give you...
Maple-Bacon Cupcakes with.... (wait for it)... Maple-Bourbon Frosting. Awwwwwww yeah.
I made these for a friend's going-away/birthday party last weekend, and, to give you an idea of the reception they got, please note that when I simply told the party what they were, a stranger hugged me. This cupcake has a perfect salty-sweet-alcohol balance, and is particularly interesting because you can taste the smokiness of the bacon throughout. Honestly, unless you add a hot tub and a pile of cash, I don't know how anything in life could be better than these.
Maple-Bacon Cupcakes with Maple-Bourbon Frosting
For the cupcakes:
1 pound bacon
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sale
1 stick unsalted butter (minus about a half tablespoon), room temp.
1 tablespoon bacon grease (reserved from cooking bacon, cooled to harden)
1/2 cut light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cup grade B maple syrup
1/2 cup buttermilk/sour milk (1/2 cup milk mixed with 1.5 tsp vinegar, let sit for 10 min)
2 teaspoons vanilla (honestly, I can't remember if I added this or not. Use your judgment.)
1. Cook the bacon. Save the drippings and allow them to cool in the fridge until they have a butter-like consistency. Mince cooled bacon to bacon-bit-size pieces. You should wind up with about a cup of chopped bacon.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. Set aside.
4. Beat the butter, bacon grease and sugar on medium speed in a large bowl until fluffy. Add eggs, syrup and (maybe?) vanilla.
5. Alternate mixing in the flour mixture with the buttermilk. Start with about a third of the flour, then a third of the buttermilk, etc.
6. Stir in about half of the bacon. (The other half will be sprinkled on top.)
7. Fill cupcake tins about 3/4 way full.
8. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Cool completely.
For the frosting:
1 stick butter (8 tablespoons, that is)
3 cups powdered sugar
about 1/2 cup grade b maple syrup
about 1/2 cup bourbon (I used Maker's Mark)
1. Beat butter in mixer fit with paddle attachment.
2. Add powdered sugar in a little at a time to incorporate. You may need to scrape the butter from the bowl every so often.
3. Add in 1/4 cup of maple syrup and 1/4 cup of bourbon (taste frequently to get the right balance of flavor -- you may choose to go more bourbon-heavy, or more syrup-heavy). Continue adding a combination of both until you reach desired consistency for spreading.
4. Frost cupcakes and sprinkle with remaining minced bacon.
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