Sweet & Salty? Chocolate & Bacon!

Bacon: n - meat from the back and sides of a pig, dried, salted, and usually smoked.

Chocolate: n - a preparation of the seeds of cacao, roasted, husked, and ground, often sweetened and flavored, as with vanilla.

Cupcake: n - a small cake, the size of an individual portion, baked in a cup-shaped mold.

Alright, now imagine all three of the aforementioned words combined into one. Bacon Chocolate Cupcakes. Yes, you read that correctly. Bacon in a cupcake. Unbelievable, right?

Now they may appear to be regular chocolate cupcakes but they most definitely are not! Inside are small, minuscule bits of bacon coated in pure milk chocolate. It sounds a bit gross, I know. I was a sceptic at first, but it's unfair to judge a cupcake by it's name. You must try these before you frown at the sound of it. Do it (In a voice from Starsky and Hutch). I promise you won't regret it.

I'm pretty sure you still don't believe me that this is a good combination, but I shall share the recipe anyways. With hope that at least one brave person will try it out.

Chocolate Bacon Cupcakes:

          12 slices of bacon

          1 cup unsalted butter

          1/2 cup cocoa powder

          3/4 cups water

          2 cups sugar

          2 Eggs

          1/2 cup buttermilk

          2 tablespoons Vanilla

          2 cups flour

          1/2 teaspoon baking soda

          1 teaspoon baking powder

          1/4 teaspoon salt

          1 cup chocolate chips

*Fry the bacon...as you would normally fry bacon

*Let the bacon cool down and cut it into tiny bit-sized pieces

*Melt the chocolate (microwave or on the stove, whatever suits you), once it's melted add the bacon bits to the chocolate and mix until combined.

*Spread the chocolate bacon mixture onto a wax paper-covered cookie sheet and place in the freezer.

*pre-Heat your oven to 350F

*Melt butter in a pot over low heat, whisk in cocoa powder and add water

*In a bowl, mix the sugar, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla together

* Pour in the cocoa mixture, stirring until smooth

*Remove the cookie sheet from the freezer and break the chocolate into small pieces, adding half to the batter

*Bake for 20-ish minutes, until fully baked

Chocolate Frosting

          1/2 cup unsalted butter

          2/3 cups cocoa powder

          3 cups icing sugar

          1/3 cups milk

          1 teaspoon vanilla

*Melt butter in pot over low heat, stir in the cocoa,. Remove from heat

*Alternate between adding the icing sugar and milk

*Add the vanilla, and if you want a thinner consistency add more milk

*Spread or pipe onto cupcakes and sprinkle with the left-over bacon chocolate chips.

And there you have it! A bizarre, yet delicious cupcake that will surprise your guests....in a most satisfying way :)

Still not convinced? Make it. Right now. Do it.

Well, that is all I have for you tonight.

Take care y'all,

Sydney <3