C is for: Chocolate Covered Bacon Candy & Maple Bacon Cupcakes

So I know it's technically the start of "D" week, but I have a couple more "C" week goodies for you. These were part of the Bacon Bridal Shower that I planned for my friend Kim. Although I had posted some of the recipes in previous weeks (i.e. Bacon Bloody Marys and Bacon Waffles), I wanted at least a few of the things to be a surprise, so I held out until after the shower today to post these delectable treats.

I will share more about the entire shower with links to the menu items next week, but I'm happy to report it was a big hit. We had a lovely time, and somehow managed to fit comfortably in my tiny San Francisco apartment. I was a tad nervous about an all bacon theme, but everyone really embraced and enjoyed our bacon-heavy menu.

I even managed to work bacon into a couple of the sweet treats, which I will share with you today. I did Maple Bacon Cupcakes for a dessert item, and made chocolate covered bacon candy as party favors for everyone to take home with them.

For both the cupcakes and the bacon, I started out with some maple brown sugar bacon. To do this, I simply baked the bacon in the oven on a rack. I sprinkled each slice with brown sugar and drizzled with maple syrup. For the cupcakes, I baked until fully cooked and starting to crisp. For the candy, I baked until fully crispy. For the cupcakes, dice up the bacon once it's cooled, reserving some bigger pieces to garnish at the end.

Since we've established I don't generally bake very often, I relied heavily on recipes for the cake part of this dish. Surprisingly, there are several recipes for bacon cupcakes online. The one I ended up using was from Oprah's site. Instead of a buttercream, I did a cream cheese based frosting that I sort of just made up on my own.

I used a star tip to frost the cupcakes and topped them with a piece of the candied bacon. By the way...how cute are those flower cupcake liners?!? (Thanks Mom!) The thing I really liked about these cupcakes was how subtle the bacon flavor was. It definitely didn't overpower the cupcake, but really complimented it nicely to achieve that perfect savory and sweet combo!

For the bacon candy, simply melt some chocolate in the microwave or double boiler along with some cream and Bailey's (similar to the Amaretto Strawberries). Dip each piece in chocolate and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet and sprinkle a few flakes of sea salt on each piece. Cool in the fridge to allow chocolate to set up. Place in cellophane bags and tie with string for unique (and easy) party favors! (Gift tags from Girl in Gear Studio).

OR...I just thought of this...you could top the bacon cupcakes with a piece of chocolate covered bacon. How awesome would that be?!? Oh the possibilities...

Maple Bacon Cupcakes

by Jaymee Sire (adapated from Oprah.com)

Keywords: bake breakfast dessert bacon maple syrup cupcake

Ingredients (12 cupcakes)

for the cake

• 4 to 5 strips thick cut bacon
• brown sugar or muscovado
• maple syrup (for drizzling)
• 2/3 cups all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup cake flower
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 egg whites, room temperature
• 1/2 cup milk, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup

for the frosting

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup confectioners sugar
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Lay bacon on a sheet pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar and drizzle with maple syrup. Bake for 15 minutes or until crisp and golden brown. Set aside 2 pieces of the bacon for topping, and dice the rest. Lower heat to 350°. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.
2. In a medium bowl combine flours, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the egg whites to butter mixture 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Slowly add the dry ingredients and milk in 2 alternating batches, mixing well between additions. Then add vanilla and maple syrup and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Gently fold in the diced bacon.
4. Scoop batter into prepared cupcake pan, filling each cup 2/3 full. Bake for 15-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.
5. While cupcakes are baking, mix together cream cheese, sugar, cinnamon and maple syrup. If you like a sweeter frosting, add more sugar. Use a star tip to frost cupcakes and top with a piece of candied bacon.

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Chocolate Covered Bacon Candy

by Jaymee Sire

Keywords: bake snack dessert gluten-free bacon maple syrup chocolate

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound thick sliced bacon
• brown sugar or muscovado
• maple syrup
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon Bailey's Irish Cream (optional)
• sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Lay bacon on a sheet pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar and drizzle with maple syrup. Bake for 15 minutes or until crisp and golden brown. Allow to cool completely. Cut into bite-sized pieces.
2. Place chocolate, cream, coconut oil and Bailey's in a microwave safe container and heat on high until chocolate is melted, stopping every minute to stir. (Or you can use a double boiler). Allow chocolate to cool slightly.
3. Dip each piece of bacon into chocolate and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with sea salt. Transfer to fridge to allow chocolate to cool and set. Serve at room temperature.

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