Elvis Cupcakes

I know it's not Elvis's birthday, but I've been meaning to make this for awhile now and February seems to be a significant month in his life. February was when he was discovered, Lisa Marie is born on Feb. 1st, and February is the month that Elvis and Priscilla separated. Aren't you impressed with my Elvis trivia? I used to be a HUGE fan. Yup, used to be. So in celebration of Elvis's life I've made Elvis Cupcakes. Elvis Cupcakes are a combination of banana, peanut butter, and bacon, but I also added Nutella, because it's freakin' awesome. I've seen many recipes that have a combination of these components so I don't think there's only one way to do this. I went with a peanut butter filled banana cupcake with Nutella frosting and bacon sprinkles. Oh yah.

Elvis Cupcakes (AKA Peanut Butter Filled Banana Cupcakes with Nutella Frosting and Bacon Sprinkles)
Servings: 16-18 cupcakes (I made 12 regulars and 12 mini cupcakes)
Prep & Cook Time:
Recipe adapted from My Kitchen Notes and Your Cup of Cake


Ingredients:
Peanut Butter Filling:
6 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp milk

Cupcake:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
dash of cinnamon (optional)
3 large bananas mashed

Nutella Frosting:
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup Nutella
1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:
1. For the PB filling, cream all ingredients together and set aside.
2. Fry the bacon until golden, drain on a paper towel, and chop into tiny pieces when cooled. Set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tins with paper liners.
4. Sift flour, baking soda and powder, and salt. Set aside.
5. Cream together the sugars and butter. About 30 seconds.
6. Add vanilla and beat in eggs one at a time.
7. Mix in the flour mixture in batches until combined. Stir in bananas.
8. Divide among the tins, filling each about 2/3rds.
9. Place  1-2 tsps of the peanut butter mixture on top of the batter in the middle of each tin.
10. With your fingers push down the peanut butter making sure the batter spreads over the peanut butter mixture.
11. Bake 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center, comes out clean. Let cool
12. While it's cooling start the frosting by creaming together Nutella and cream cheese.
13. Add the powdered sugar in batches. Mix on high until smooth and creamy.
14. You can pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes, or just spread them on top.
15. Sprinkle bacon bits on top of each cupcake and then you're done! MMMMM Enjoy!

Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have been on a major bacon binge lately. I never used to eat it the stuff, but thanks to the bf I started to get it at restaurants, which led to me buying it and fried it up at home for breakfast, and of course I've reached that climactic stage in bacon evolution, a week of bacon in everything! From sandwiches, to breakfast foods, to bacon wrapped hot dogs, I have been hard at work clogging up my arteries. But there was one recipe that was amazingly delicious: Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Baking with bacon seems to be a new trend. Chocolate dipped bacon, maple bacon cupcakes, and bacon cookies have been popping up in restaurants, bakeries, and blogs. How could I not try a recipe that combines that greasy, salty taste with the chocolaty goodness of a chocolate chip cookie?! And get ready for this... instead of butter, this recipe uses bacon drippings. Oh ya, I said it. Enjoy it.

Now for some exercise...

Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies (with Butterscotch Chips)

Recipe adapted from A Cozy Kitchen

Makes about 24 cookies

Prep and cooking time: 1 hour  

Ingredients

1/2 cup white sugar

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1 egg

3/4 cup bacon drippings at room temperature

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups flour

6 pieces of bacon, fried and chopped (the original called for 4, but come on, it's bacon)

6 oz. of chocolate chips

3 oz. of butterscotch chips (optional- but the flavor goes really well with bacon)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the white sugar, brown sugar, egg and bacon drippings.

3. Add the oats, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, flour and mix well.

4. Gently fold in the bacon and chocolate chips (and butterscotch chips).

5. Using your hands shape the dough into 1 1/2″ to 2″ cookies. Place on ungreased cookie sheets and bake for ten minutes or until done.