Chocolate Bacon With Bacon Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Oddly enough, Bacon and Chocolate actually go really, really well together.

8 Slices of Bacon *I live in Canada, and I just used thin packaged bacon, but whatever kind of Bacon you use, make sure it can get really crispy.
1 Cup of Unsalted Butter *This is a must, since the Bacon itself is so salty.
½ Cup of Cocoa Powder
¾ Cup Water
2 Cups of Sugar
2 Large Eggs
1/2 Cup well-shaken Buttermilk
2 Tbsp. Vanilla Extract
2 Cups Flour
½ tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Baking Powder
¼ tsp Salt
1 Cup of Dark Chocolate Chips or Wafers

First, prepare the Bacon.

Fry your Bacon on Medium heat until really crispy. The entire bacon slice will not be 100% crispy unless it’s burnt, so just make sure that they are really well done.

Remove from heat and place on paper towel and pat dry. Remove as much of the grease as you can. Let it cool down and then break the bacon apart until you have Bacon Bits. As mentioned above, the whole bacon slice will not crisp, so what you do while breaking the Bacon apart is remove the fatty parts and eat them :

Put the Cup of the Chocolate Chips/Wafers in a bowl and place in the microwave for about 20-40 seconds until it is melted. Add the Bacon Bits to the melted chocolate and mix until combined.

Get some wax paper or tin foil and spread the Chocolate Bacon mixture all over the wax paper. Set-aside for now, and place in the refrigerator.

Once chilled and the chocolate is almost hard as a rock, you want to break apart all the bacon pieces to make Bacon Chocolate Chips. Divide in to two, one to add to the mixture and the other to add to the top of your finished Cupcakes.

It’s tempting I know, so make some extra if you want to eat them.

First, preheat your oven to 350F and prepare your muffin tins with your foils.
Melt Butter in a large heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, then whisk/stir in Cocoa Powder.

TIP: Cocoa Powder doesn’t have to be sifted here, because it is heated and will not clump.

Add the Water to the Cocoa/Butter mixture until smooth and remove from heat.

In a bowl, mix the Sugar, Eggs, Buttermilk and Vanilla together,

TIP : Sometimes when I crack an Egg, I put it in the bowl, but if the Egg is bad, you’re whole batter is bad, and you will have to start again. So what I do is crack the Egg and place it in a small bowl and examine it before adding it to the mixture.

Sift in Flour, Baking Soda, Baking Powder and Salt in the mix.

TIP : Sifting may sound like another step, but if you don’t, you could end up with little clumps of flour and that is not pretty, nor does it taste very good.

Add in the Cocoa Mixture and combine until smooth.

Add in Bacon Chocolate Chips

Bake for 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Everyone’s oven is different, so have the Cupcakes in for at least the 20-minute mark.

Once cooled to touch, place on cooling racks or paper towel.

Ingredients for Frosting

½ Cup Unsalted Butter
2/3 Cup Cocoa Powder
3 Cups of Icing/Confectioners Sugar
1/3 Cup Milk
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

Melt Butter in a heavy saucepan, stir in Cocoa.

Alternating the SIFTED Icing Sugar and Milk, beating to spread consistency.

If needed, add additional Milk and stir in Vanilla. Remove from heat.

This Icing will develop a ‘crust’ if you will on the top if it is not covered. But it doesn’t matter because you can just mix it all together again.

Once your Cupcakes are cooled pour about a Tablespoon of the Icing on top.

Add those extra Bacon Chocolate Chips to the top.