For The Love Of Bacon

Bacon tastes delicious alongside of a steaming stack of buttermilk pancakes, a buttery Belgian waffle, or even in a fluffy three-egg omelet. But the pig doesn’t stop there. After breakfast, it stars in lunchtime sandwiches like the infamous BLT, a traditional turkey club, or on top of a crisp Cobb salad. Then for dinner, you can order a juicy bacon cheeseburger, a hot baked potato with bacon, or a creamy chowder with corn and bacon. And don’t forget the appetizers! Bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with goat cheese, potato skins topped with bacon bits, or mini-bacon quiches…

From these dishes and more, the bacon food group on the food pyramid is already full to bursting with tasty recipes. But one thing is lacking—desserts.

My collection of cookbooks excludes bacon as an ingredient in all of their desserts. Trust me, I traced my finger down every single cake, cookie, pudding, and pie recipe. But why is that? Bacon’s salty and savory flavor goes perfectly well with sweet treats. Really, if people find chocolate-covered pretzels so appealing—that perfect pairing of sweet and salty—why wouldn’t they try bits of bacon in their favorite cookies or brownies?

So last Saturday, the goal to create a delicious dessert with bacon in a starring role developed into an irresistible bacon-vanilla cupcake. With a little sweet chocolate drizzle to complement the savory bacon, you’ll want to skip your entrée and dive straight into this dessert!

Bacon Cupcakes

makes one dozen cupcakes

Be sure to let the bacon cool enough before tearing it to pieces. And try not to eat all of the reserved bits for sprinkling on top!

1 package bacon

2 tbsp butter, softened

½ + ⅓ c. sugar

½ tbsp vanilla

2 eggs

1¼ c. flour

1¼ tsp baking powder

⅛ tsp salt

½ c. milk

1 c. vanilla frosting

¼ c. chocolate fudge topping

Cook bacon in a skillet on the stove, turning the bacon pieces occasionally. Once done, place bacon on a plate lined with paper towels, and blot off grease. Cut off the fatty parts, and dice or tear the remaining meat into tiny bits. Reserve ⅓ c. for sprinkling on top, and set aside remaining bacon bits for the cupcake batter. Preheat oven to 350°, and line 12 muffin cups with cupcake liners. Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Mix in vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix well after each addition. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Alternate adding the flour mixture and milk to the egg mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix in the bacon bits. Evenly distribute the batter between the prepared muffin cups, and bake at 350° for 25-30 min, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 min, and then turn out on a wire rack to continue cooling to room temperature. Top each cooled cupcake with a heaping tablespoon of frosting. Add the chocolate fudge to a plastic bag, snip of a tiny piece of the corner, and squeeze the bag to drizzle the chocolate over the frosting. Top with reserved bacon bits.



