Maple bacon cupcakes

I used to be a vegetarian. Then every time I saw chicken, my mouth watered. So I started eating organic, grass-fed chicken. So I ate it. Then in a drunken late-night food run, my friends and I went to Burger King. There in the glow of the backlit drive-through menu, the chicken nuggets called out my name. It was all downhill from there. I eat chicken all the time now. I can't help it, it's just so tasty and nutritious.

Then how did I start eating bacon again? I have to say, it was a moral challenge to abandon my previous eating habits, as I've always been very conscious of the origins of my food, especially meat. Coupled with the fact that I want to have a pet pig when I grow up, the transition to bacon was pretty hard for me.

OK, so it wasn't that hard. I was at my friend's house and her mother brought out a plate of bacon with our breakfast. As it sat there on the table, I thought to myself, "So you've done chicken, turkey... you may as well go all the way. Eat the bacon." And with that, I picked up a piece and ate it. And it was fucking phenomenal. Nearly five minutes later I was concocting bacon recipes in my head. I had seen a few recipes out there for bacon cupcakes, but none that seemed to use enough bacon fat. A tablespoon? Come on. How are you supposed to taste that?

So today I achieved culinary excellence. I put that delicious bacon in a cupcake, and not only did it come out well, but I want to say it's the best recipe I've ever made up.

If this doesn't get me a husband, I don't know what will.

For the cupcakes:

12 strips high-quality uncured bacon, and reserve 1/2 cup bacon drippings
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup maple syrup (REAL maple syrup. None of that Aunt Jemima crap)
1/4 cup butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

For the frosting:

1/2 cup butter
3 cups confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup maple syrup (see note above)

Begin by cooking the bacon in a frying pan to desired level of crispiness. Reserve all drippings from cooking, and put to solidify in the fridge. Allow bacon to cool on a plate, then, using cooking scissors, cut 7 of the strips into small bits, about the size of small peas (I cut the strips in half, then snipped them up from there). Cut the remaining 5 strips into quarters (these will go on the top of the cupcakes). Set everything aside.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. In a large bowl, cream the butter, solidified bacon drippings, sugar, and maple syrup. Then add the egg and milk. In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in thirds. Finally, using a spatula, fold in the reserved bacon bits.

Pour the batter into lined cupcake molds. Bake for ~30 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

While the cupcakes are baking, make the frosting. Cream the butter, then add the vanilla and maple syrup. Lastly add in the confectioner's sugar. Beat on medium speed until the frosting looks light and airy, about 2 minutes.

Once the cupcakes are cooled, spoon the frosting into a ziplock bag. Cut a 1 centimeter slit in the corner of the bag. Starting in the center of the cupcake, pipe the frosting in a spiral out to the edge of the cupcakes. Top each cupcake with a quarter strip of bacon. Enjoy!

Recipe by me.

Maple oatmeal raisin cookies!

I feel like such a mom today. And you know what? --don't judge-- I'm loving it. I woke up this morning, went for a run, made these cookies, had a lunch (of cookies, duh). After spending the majority of my morning in the kitchen, I went to pick up some girlies from school (Rebe, and Maeve, who's a second grader and Rebe's and my pretty-much-sister). I was still in my workout gear and feeling pretty mom-ish. But then I felt cooler when we turned on the radio and jammed to Nelly. After stopping in the center of town to do some errands, we made our way home for some milk and cookies... and we danced some more. Now the girls are in the dining room, doing a puzzle, and I'm about to join. It's been a major housewife day. And it's great. Lol.

Makes approximately 32 cookies

For the cookies:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
3 cups old-fashioned, rolled oats

1 stick  room temperature unsalted butter

1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup raisins

For the maple glaze:

1 cup confectioner's sugar
3 tablespoons maple syrup

4 tablespoons heavy cream

pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl,  using a beater on medium speed, combine the butter, sugars, and maple syrup. Add in the eggs and beat until incorporated. Next add the flour, salt, and soda and beat until batter forms. Last, mix in the oats and raisins and beat until just incorporated. 

cookie models

Using a small ice cream scoop (about 2 tablespoons), place the batter onto greased cookie sheets, keeping an inch distance between the cookies. Bake for 7-10 minutes, then place hot cookies on a wire cooling rack. 

While the cookies are cooking, beat the confectioner's sugar, maple syrup, cream, and salt together on medium-high speed until mixture is glossy. Dip a whisk into the batter and then shake the whisk over the cookies on the rack to drizzle. It's as easy as that. Yumski.

Recipe adapted from Recipe adapted from The Pastry Queen by Rebecca Rather via La Kocinera.

Candied pecans with a twist

Candied pecans are actually one of the most addicting foods out there. In my mind the best candied nuts are those found on the streets of New York at the Hot Nut carts. They're crunchy and sweet, with a hint of saltiness. And oh-so addicting. So I put together a recipes that tastes exactly like the ones you get on the streets of New York. And look how awesome they look. Really. Look at them. Yum.

So What's so special about this recipe? Instead of making the pecans with sugar, I use maple syrup! It makes the pecans taste extra flavorful. It also allows you to skip the caramelization process (which is hard to do perfectly), and go straight to the eating step. WOOHOO! So, without further adieu, my special candied pecans! Oh, lastly: know that you can substitute any nut into this recipe. I'm a huge fan of almonds, so I may make them too this weekend...

For the pecans:

2 cups roasted, salted pecans
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste

In a large skillet on medium-high heat, toast the pecans until hot (this allows them to lose any excess steam, making the final product more crunchy), 4-5 minutes. Once toasted, turn the heat down to medium and add the butter, letting it mix throughout. Once the butter is incorporated, add the maple syrup and the salt. If you are comfortable, toss-mix the pecans in the pan. If not, simply stir the pecans with a wooden spoon to help the absorption process. This should take another 5 minutes. At first it will look like there's too much liquid in the pan, but as the maple syrup gets hot it will subsume into the pecans. Once it looks like the liquid is nearly gone and the pecans are shiny, take the mixture off the heat and immediately pour onto a wax-lined sheet of parchment paper, or a greased piece of aluminum foil (whichever is handy!).  Let cool before eating, as the pecans will be super hot. Bon appétit!