Canada Day Maple Bacon Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Cupcakes

• 1 3/4 cup Western Family All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 tsp Western Family Ground Cinnamon
• 1 tsp Western Family Baking Powder
• 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 cup Western Family Salted Butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup Sugar
• 1 Tbsp Avocado Oil
• 1/4 cup Western Family Maple Syrup
• 1 tsp Western Family Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 tsp Maple Extract
• 2 Western Family Large Eggs, room temperature
• 1/4 cup Sour Cream, room temperature
• 1/2 cup Buttermilk, room temperature

Candied Bacon

• 1 package Western Family Thick-Sliced Bacon
• 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
• 2-3 Tbsp Western Family Maple Syrup

Maple Frosting

• 1/2 cup Western Family Salted Butter, room temperature
• 4 cups Powdered Sugar
• 1/4 cup Western Family Maple Syrup
• 1/4 tsp Maple Extract
• 1-2 Tbsp Heavy Cream

Directions:

Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat together on high speed butter, oil, and sugar, for 2 minutes.
3. Add in vanilla, maple extract, maple syrup, and sour cream and mix on medium speed until just combined. Add in the eggs then mix on medium speed until smooth and combined.
4. Add in 1/3 of dry ingredients and 1/2 of the buttermilk into the large bowl, mix until just combined. Add in another 1/3 of the dry ingredients and the remaining buttermilk. Mix until just combined. Then add in the remaining dry ingredients, and mix until just combined.
5. Using a cookie scoop, scoop the batter into a 12-cup muffin tin lined with paper cupcakes liners. Only fill each about 2/3rds full (I actually got 13 cupcakes in total!)
6. Bake for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool on rack completely before decorating.

Candied Bacon

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Line a baking sheet with foil, place a cooling rack on top. Lay bacon on rack and drizzle with maple syrup and sprinkle brown sugar on top.
2. Bake for 30 min or longer until slightly crispy and allow to cool.
3. Once cooled, take kitchen shears and cut out 3 maple leaf pieces and 1 stem piece. Arrange together on top of cupcakes that have just been frosted! Or cut bacon into 1” pieces and stick on top of decorated cupcakes.

Maple Frosting

1. Beat butter and powdered sugar in a large bowl, starting on low speed and then high speed for 2 minutes until mixture is in small crumbles.
2. Add maple syrup, maple extract, and cream and beat on high speed until smooth. Add more cream if frosting is too thick. Insert Wilton Tip 1M into a piping bag and fill with frosting. Pipe frosting onto each cupcake.