Unique Eats

Finally, I will supply you with my own unique eat.   I absolutely LOVE the show on Cooking Channel "Unique Eats".  It goes along with the enthusiastic followers I was talking about earlier.  The chefs and everyday people who invent food ideas that they like and craft it into something everyone will like, brings smile.  So, since I am a mega bacon fan, this recipe is an explosion of breakfast in cupcake form.  In involves flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg, maple syrup, and bacon.   The cupcakes are topped with a homemade bacon cream cheese frosting.  This "French Toast Bacon Cupcake" is good anytime of day.
This recipe may look like a lot of ingredients and a lot of steps, but I guarantee a successful food dance.

Equipment: whisk, spatula, muffin tin with paper wrappers, electric hand whisk, 2 mixing bowls.
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Makes 24 cupcakes

*Hint* You can use yellow or white super moist box cake mix instead of mixing your own, but use 2 eggs and 4 oz. pudding mix instead; makes 18-22 cupcakes.*

Cupcakes:
~ Dry Ingredients ~
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. fresh ground nutmeg

2 oz. vanilla instant pudding

~ Wet Ingredients ~

8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1 large egg plus 2 large egg yolks @ room temp.
1 1/2 good vanilla extra (no fake stuff here)
1/4 cup real maple syrup (do not use that corn syrup flavored crap)
8 strips thick-cut bacon, cooked, drained, crumbled

Method:
1. Whisk together all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl = flour, sugars, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and pudding.
2. Add butter, sour cream, egg & yolks, vanilla, and maple syrup and beat the wet ingredients into the dry at medium speed until smooth and satiny, 30 -ish seconds.
3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatular and stir in the cooked back by hand also making sure all the flour mix is incorporated.
4. Divide the batter evenly among the cups, filling 2/3 full. Bake until golden brown and toothpick insert comes out clean, 20-24 minutes.
5. Lift the cooked cupcakes out of muffin tins with wrapper still on, and let cool on a baking rack for about 40 minutes.

While the cupcakes cool.... make the frosting!

Frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened but still slightly cool
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened still slightly cool
1 1/4 cups confectioners' (powdered) sugar
1/2 tsp. good vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. real maple syrup
3 slices bacon, cooked, drained, crumbled

1. Combine cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and maple syrup in a medium mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer until smooth.
2. In about 3 batches, incorporate the powdered sugar.
3. Frost the cooled cupcakes with a frosting spatula or a knife and top with crumbled bacon pieces.

Enjoy breakfast in a hand-size bundle of delicious-ness. Definably food dance worthy in my book.
I know my brother and his friends love when I bake them off a batch and they appear on their door-step.
With love from his sister, Sarah.