Maple Bacon Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

By davidv

“I can't decide if these incredibly delicious cupcakes are better for breakfast or dessert. The maple and bacon flavors remind me of a lazy, weekend brunch in cupcake form!”— David

Tip: To play with the flavors a bit, try using white chocolate chips or butterscotch for coating the bacon garnish.

Ingredients

• Cupcakes:
• 2 –1/8 cups flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 –1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 –1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 1 –2/3 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp maple extract
• 1 –1/8 cups Half & Half
• 12 thick‒cut, maple‒cured bacon strips, chopped and cooked until fat is rendered and lightly browned
• Frosting:
• 24 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 stick (3-oz) margarine, softened
• 1 –1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 1/4 tsp maple extract
• Garnish:
• 6 thick‒cut, maple‒cured bacon strips, cut into 3 pieces each and cooked until fat is rendered and crispy
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preparation

Step 1

Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Line 2 12‒cup muffin pans with cupcake liners and set aside.

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and set aside.

Beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy in the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment.

Add the eggs and the maple extract and mix until fully incorporated.

Add the flour mixture and the Half & Half, alternating, in 2 batches. Be sure to mix well after each addition. Add in the chopped, cooked bacon and mix until evenly distributed.

Fill the paper-lined muffin pans 3/4 of the way full with batter. Bake the muffins for 20–23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let them cool before frosting.

Frosting:
Cream together the cream cheese and the margarine with a hand mixer in a medium bowl until smooth and free of any lumps. Next, mix in the maple extract. Add in the confectioners' sugar and whip until light and fluffy.

Refrigerate the frosting until you’re ready to serve the cupcakes.

Garnish:
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Melt the chocolate chips in the top section of a double boiler. Dip each piece of the bacon into the chocolate, until half of the bacon is covered in chocolate.

Place the bacon pieces onto the prepared cookie sheet. Refrigerate until the chocolate is set.

When ready to serve the cupcakes, frost them using an icing spatula or a piping bag fitted with a pastry tip. After frosting, place a piece of chocolate-covered bacon on each cupcake and serve.