Birthday Bacon Cupcakes

Yes, you heard that right.

For my bf’s birthday on Monday, one of my friends joked I should take him to Denny’s for their bacon-fest. They even have bacon sundaes. She wasn’t joking – she knows how much that boy loves bacon.

Well, instead we had plans to go to Fogo de Chão, but I figured I’d finally attempt cooking dessert with bacon. Yes, I’m late to the party. If we’re being honest though, I never would have even considered making these if I hadn’t tasted the bacon French toast cupcakes with maple frosting my sister made for Easter. They were good, and I can’t believe I’m admitting that. So the scary factor of throwing bacon in cupcakes was gone. I rolled up my sleeves and knocked out a few of these babies:

Peanut Butter Bacon Cupcakes with Peanut Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

• 1/2 package bacon
• 1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 1/8 cup bacon grease
• 1/8 stick of butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 package yellow cake mix
• 1/3 cup water

Directions:

Place the bacon in a large, deep skillet, and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Reserve 1/8 cup bacon grease and set aside to cool. Drain the bacon slices on a paper towel-lined plate. Chop the bacon.

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees. Beat the crunchy peanut butter, bacon grease and butter with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to blend into the peanut butter mixture before adding the next. Pour in the cake mix alternately with the water, mixing until just incorporated. Fold in 2/3 of the chopped bacon (saving the rest to top the cupcakes after frosting); mixing just enough to evenly combine. Pour the batter into prepared cupcake pan, about 2/3 full.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

Frosting Ingredients:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 c peanut butter (if piping, learn from my mistake: use creamy and not crunchy so you don’t clog it up)
• 1 c powdered sugar

Directions:

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and peanut butter together until smooth. Add the powdered sugar 1/4 cup at a time. Frost cupcakes once cupcakes are completely cooled.

Then, top with bacon! Confession: I topped mine with bacon before baking, so they looked like little muffins. Not only is there bacon inside, but also on top of the cupcakes AND atop the frosting!

And enjoyed them with Cupcake wine… silly I know. But I’d do it again. If only I had more of that wine…

Tant pis. Oh well. Off to watch the French Open am I! And I also should start packing and/or cleaning my house. We’re driving back to California for Memorial Day Weekend in THREE DAYS!!!!!!!!!!