Maple Bacon cupcakes

update!











Now I don't have any pictures to share today, I actually plan on making these tomorrow! Theres 2 version of these that I make and for my friends that aren't "baking inclined" I have a short cut version I'm going to share today.
     So the first cupcake I call the AM. It smells like breakfast and looks like dessert. Used to be one of my best sellers! The ingredients you'll need are:  

  -A Box of FRENCH Vanilla cake mix (and the eggs oil water)
  - Cinnamon

  - 4 cups powder sugar
 - 1/2 a stick unsalted butter    
 -  !/2 of veggie shorting (crisco) helps the frosting to hold up
 -3Tb milk
 -2 TB pure vanilla, not imitation, it will never taste good with fake vanilla extract
  - Maple bacon
  - 2 cups plain sugar

      OK step on. Prepare the cake mix as directed on the box, I always go a little easier on the oil and prewhip my eggs, just habit can't say that it actually does anything! Next add about 2 table spoons of cinnamon. The idea of this is to give it a french toast smell and taste. If you prefer add more or lass than I suggest. Fill the cupcake liners 1/2 full and bake about 17 mins.

  While the cupcakes are baking, get  out a frying Pan and cook up the bacon, before the bacon is almost fully cook add the sugar a little at a time to candy it. as the sugar melts it turns into a Carmel and then crystallizes. It taste so good! Little salty little sweet. After the bacon is candied put it on a plastic or glass plate, no paper or paper towels. They'll be a bit sticky till it cools and hardens. When it hardens use scissors to cut it into fine pieces to sprinkle over the cupcakes frosting later!  And really hot water will dissolve anything left over in the pan so don't worry you wont ruin your pan by doing this. =)
     Next step is the frosting, my buttercream recipe is easy, 4 cups powder sugar, 1/2 stick of room temp butter. 1/2 cup shorting 3 TB milk and 2Tb vanilla, whip it all together in a standing mixer. Low at first then high for about 2-3mins to make it  nice and fluffy. Not I add a few drops of imitation maple, then some real maple syrup to the frosting. this will make the frosting a bit gooeier. so add another cup or two of powder sugar to stiffen it up. How much syrup? it varies for everyone. You cant go wrong, add about 1/4cup at first. you want to be able to smell it in the frosting and lightly taste it too. remember you cant add too much just add more powder sugar to bounce it back! frost your cupcakes and sprinkle on the bacon and wha-la!  AMs      
        For more fun I make chocolate cupcakes with milk chocolate frosting and candied bacon! its my cure all for any day!!