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Sunday, March 9, 2014

Chocolate Bacon Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

Try saying that five times fast! Heck try saying it one time fast :) Happy Sunday everybody! Hope you are having a couch-filled day like we are. Nothing like watching movies from the 90's and cuddling up to my love all day!

So I had been mulling over this recipe idea all week. I was making some cookies with melted chocolate on them the other day and had a ton of leftover chocolate. I didn't want to throw it out, but I didn't know what to use it for. Funny thing was I was also making a BLT at the time and couldn't get the idea of bacon and chocolate out of my head. I kept asking my friends and family if bacon and chocolate together sounded good. I kept getting stink eyes and worried looks at the idea. I had decided to let it go, but then this morning while making breakfast a chocolate chip fell onto my bacon and I knew it was a sign I had to give it a try...but the recipe needed more. That's where my Dad comes into play for some inspiration.

Growing up we always had huge breakfasts on the weekends. Our big family could easily go through a whole package of bacon and sausage, a whole carton of eggs, a gallon of milk, and 2 boxes of Eggo waffles.

And my Dad would eat his waffles a little differently than everyone else. He'd put peanut butter on them! As a young kid I remember thinking that was so gross and how could he put anything on waffles besides massive amount of butter and syrup?! I decided I would give it a try and have been hooked ever since! And that is what inspired my idea for Chocolate Bacon Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting!

I thought "If peanut butter is good on waffles, it must be good on bacon...right?" I was so right! The sweetness of the peanut butter mixed with the crunchy saltiness of the bacon complimented by the subtle bitterness from the dark chocolate makes this amazing flavor explosion you never saw coming!

Seriously, these things are absolutely amazing. I mean I ate one and I needed to drink something to help wash it down, but couldn't stop taking bite after bite. I think I inhaled it in about 38 seconds.

Even my Hub, who rarely if ever likes sweets, devoured one of these. He had the strength to stop and take a drink half way through, though. I don't know how he did it :)

Don't be afraid to try them. I know the combination sounds really weird, but I promise it's worth it. Oh and I was originally going to use chocolate chips, but realized I didn't have enough for the batter and to sprinkle on top, so I just used what I had. Luckily for me, my mother-in-law bought us some Lindt Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt for Valentine's Day and I still had some left. Feel free to use your favorite kind of chocolate in this recipe.

I didn't frost all of them just yet. They are perfect even without the frosting and toppings. But don't let that stop you from piling on the peanut butter frosting goodness!

Ingredients:
4 pieces of bacon
1/2 Cup butter
5 squares of Lindt dark chocolate with sea salt (about 1/4 cup)
3/4 Cup flour
1/2 Cup cocoa powder (I use toll house for baking)
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 Cup sugar
1/4 Cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 Cup buttermilk*
1 Tbsp syrup

Peanut Butter Frosting:
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 Cup peanut butter
2-3 Tbsp powdered sugar
2-3 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla

Syrup and chocolate chips for topping, optional

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12 cup pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.

Start out by filling a large glass with hot water. Place the eggs in the glass to help get them to room temperature. Set aside.

Cook the bacon until super crispy. Remove and drain on a paper towel. Chop into small pieces and set aside.

Melt the butter and chocolate together in a small bowl until smooth. Set aside and let cool.

Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and powder, and salt in a small bowl and mix up completely.

Stir together the sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla in a mixer on medium speed until smooth. Stir in the cooled chocolate butter and whisk together.

Add in half of the dry ingredients, then half the buttermilk repeating until everything is added. The texture will be light and resemble chocolate pudding.

Fold in the bacon and pour in the syrup.

Divide into the cupcake cups, filling 3/4 full. Bake for about 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool before adding frosting.

Frosting:
Mix cream cheese in mixer on high until smooth. Add in the peanut butter and mix until completely combined. Next add in the powdered sugar and milk one tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired frosting thickness. Add in the vanilla.

Add to a piping bag and pipe over the cooled cupcakes. Drizzle on syrup and top with chocolate chips. Dive in and enjoy the culinary experience that is these cupcakes!

*I didn't have buttermilk so I combined 1/2 cup 1% milk and 2 tsp white vinegar and let it sit for 5 minutes. Same thing.

Here's a 12 Cup baking pan if you need one :)

Non-Stick Bakeware 12 Cup
This is a great Cupcake Kit!

A Pretty Cupcake Kit
These are the tools I use to decorate with!

Betty Crocker 11 Piece Decorating Kit
Need some Lindt Chocolate?

Lindt Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt

Thanks for stopping by!

*I linked up to creativity unleashed, weekend bloggy reading, tickled pink, foodie friday, kitchen fun and crafty friday, friday link party, tidy mom, thursday style, friday flash blog, lovely little link party, the homeacre hop, pin it thursday, all things thursday, full plate thursday, work it wednesday, whats cookin wednesday, wicked awesome wednesday, show me what ya got, create link inspire, tasty tuesday, share your stuff tuesdays, the scoop, nifty thrifty tuesday, the diy'ers, make it pretty monday, made by you monday, metamorphosis mondays, sunday showcase, a marvelous mess, carrie this home, much ado about monday, craftomaniac, amaze me monday

**Recipe adapted from here

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Cinnamon Roll Cookies

Hey All and Happy Thursday! Did you know Tuesday was National Pancake Day? Well we did, and we took advantage of the day by having breakfast for dinner! It's seriously one of Hub's favorite things...like ever. He could be having the worst day at work but then get a text from me asking if he wants bacon or sausage for dinner and he immediately forgets all about whatever is going on.

Sorry about the crummy night time pic. Just know they were chocolate chip and they were amazing and would've photographed beautifully in the daytime :) So along with the pancakes I made some bacon and eggs. And for dessert I knew instantly what I wanted to make...Cinnamon Roll Cookies!

These things are freaking awesome. I laugh out loud when I think about how good they are because they make me that happy. Its recipes like this that make me glad I'm a Zumba instructor and therefore can eat a ton of these!

The worst part about this recipe is the waiting! They spend about two hours in the fridge before they're ready to bake, and another half hour after they're iced. But they are so worth it. I mean these are the epitome of the phrase "Worth the wait"!

Super chewy and cinnamony (word?) on the inside, light and crunchy on the outside, and topped with sweet creamy icing. These cookies are awesome!

I know, I know. You're thinking these all don't look exactly like a perfect teeny tiny cinnamon roll cookie. Well I'm here to tell you nothing in life is perfect and as long as what I'm eating tastes awesome, I'm good to go. I think next time I need to roll up the dough tighter, so remember that when you try these out and they may look more like an itty bitty cinnamon roll than mine. Trust me though when I say these taste fantastic!

Makes 2 dozen
Ingredients:
2/3 Cup sugar
1/3 Cup butter, softened
1 egg
1/3 Cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 Cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon

4 Tbsp butter, softened, divided
1/2 Cup brown sugar, divided
1 Tbsp cinnamon, divided

4oz Cream cheese
1/4 Cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp milk

Directions:
Whisk together the sugar and butter in your mixer until soft.

Add in the egg and stir until fully incorporated, followed by the vanilla and sour cream.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Stir together with a fork then slowly add it to the dough.

Once everything is mixed together, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and flatten into a circle. Place in the fridge to chill for at least two hours.

Remove and flour your work surface really well. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line your baking sheet with a silpat or grease with cooking spray.

Divide the dough into two equal parts. Roll each half out into a circle about an 1/8 inch in thickness and coat each circle with two tablespoons of butter.

Sprinkle on 1/4 cup of brown sugar and 1/2 a tablespoon of cinnamon over each circle and roll up into a log.

Slice into thin cookies using a sharp knife and place on the baking sheet. Cook for about 10-15 minutes or until fluffy and slightly golden brown. Remove and allow to cool on baking sheet.

Icing:
Whip the cream cheese in your mixer until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar and milk and mix together. Add more milk for thinner icing.

Top cooled cookies with icing and return to the fridge for about 30-60 minutes. Remove and enjoy!

So did you and your family take advantage of National Pancake Day? Do you love breakfast for dinner, too?

Thanks for stopping by!

**I linked up to lovely little link party, the homeacre hop, pin it thursday, all things thursday, full plate thursday, work it wednesday, whats cookin wednesday, wicked awesome wednesday, show me what ya got, create link inspire, tasty tuesday, share your stuff tuesdays, the scoop, nifty thrifty tuesday, the diy'ers, make it pretty monday, made by you monday, metamorphosis mondays, sunday showcase, a marvelous mess, carrie this home, much ado about monday, craftomaniac, amaze me monday, busy monday, super saturday link party, link party palooza, weekend bloggy reading, weekend potluck, tickled pink, foodie friday, thursday style, kitchen fun and crafty friday, friday flash blog

***recipe adapted from here

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Fluster's Creative Muster - Linky Party #61

Hey All! I'm here tonight co-hosting with the Fabulous Robin from Fluster Muster! So excited to be a part of this party!
In case you missed it...here's what I've been up to:

How to Make Eggs On The Go!

Strawberry Lemon Squares!

These are Not Your Ordinary Cookies!

Enough about me! Time for you to party!

Fluster's Creative Muster - Linky Party #61

When we were young my mom would always serve burgers with her secret sauce (I think she stole the name from McDonald's). No burger that she ever made was complete until she added that sauce. When I saw the post "A Burger's Favorite Sauce" at last weeks party I had to see if mom's secret recipe got out. My mom will be happy to hear that her recipe is still a secret, however I think Organizer by Day's recipe has her's beat.

By linking to this party you are giving Fluster Buster and co-hosts permission to use your images in featured posts.

Host

Fluster Buster

Co-Host

Organizer By Day

<div align="center">
<a href="http://www.flusterbuster.com" rel=”nofollow” title="Fluster Buster"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJugVPUK-FOY4TV5Kg6RLtNrq5OEPoVyFF_AD5sbKUOfZJHxiOb7RvZMFOIFUdK4QfNyv2vy4HKwb6yk2GYx7JitexZtZVAbpHt0vnGVO7IMT2stfsQxNmGbXn6yPIvM2EJ65bTg-C9Bat/s1600/Party+Button.jpg" alt="Fluster Buster" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

An InLinkz Link-up

Monday, March 3, 2014

Eggs On The Go!

Hey All and Happy Monday to you! Today I've got a great way to help make your week a little easier and better. What's the one meal that gets skipped over all the time? Breakfast. Funny thing is it really is incredibly important and good for you.

When you eat first thing in the morning, it gives you more energy throughout the day and helps kick start your metabolism...therefore helping you lose weight! It's great! I always say to think of your body like a car and food like fuel. If you don't put fuel in your car, it'll start out sluggish, move slow, and eventually won't work anymore. So give your "tank" some "fuel" first thing in the morning. Don't have time you say? I have the solution. Eggs On The Go!

This idea came from my little sister who told me about it over dinner this weekend. She said she saw an idea to cook eggs in a muffin pan and immediately my creative wheels started turning. How great would it be to make a bunch of eggs all at once without dirtying my skillet and have them ready to eat throughout the week?! Pretty darn great, I think. So I got out all the ingredients I love to have with my eggs and threw everything in together.

These are so stinking easy, anyone can make them. All I did was crack one egg into each muffin cup, added some bacon, cheese, potatoes, peppers and a pinch each of salt and pepper, mixed it up with a fork and in the oven they went. After about 14 minutes I had perfect little egg cups ready to go!

I only made four this time in case it was an epic fail, but they weren't! They came out great! I had to spray the heck out of the muffin tin with PAM before I poured anything in, but it really helped these come out smoothly. Now all I have to do in the morning is grab one of these yummy egg cups, pop it in the microwave for a few seconds, and I'm out the door!

If you have a big family, make a whole dozen! If you have picky eaters, only add what they like into the cup. Want ham instead of bacon? Go for it. It's your egg. The possibilities are endless!

Ingredients:

4 Eggs
2 pieces of bacon, cooked and cut up (or ham, or any meat, or no meat :)
1/2 Cup cheddar cheese
1/4 Cup diced frozen potatoes (optional)
2 Tbsp green peppers, chopped finely (also optional)
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray your muffin pan with cooking spray or use your non stick muffin pan.

Crack one egg into each cup.

Add any and all ingredients you can fit in the cup. Stir it all together with a fork.

Bake for 13-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes still sitting in the pan.

Take out of the pan and eat right away or store in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days. Take out the day you want to eat them and heat up in the microwave for a few seconds.

That's it! Easy Peasy! Breakfast is done for the week! The best part is everyone gets their eggs how they like them. Growing up in a huge family it was either scrambled or scrambled with cheese. This way, everyone wins! The fact that these are only 120 calories doesn't hurt either :)