Maple French Toast Bacon Cupcakes

I have to admit I've jumped on the bandwagon and crossed over to the dark side and absolutely love the new trend combining desserts with bacon. This recipe is from the Food Network but it is absolutely incredibly! It's totally the combination of Sweet & Salty that gets me every time!

For the Cupcakes:

·         1 cup all-purpose flour

·         1 cup cake flour

·         1 3.9-ounce box instant vanilla pudding mix

·         1 teaspoon baking powder

·         1 tablespoon potato starch

·         1 teaspoon cinnamon

·         1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

·         1/2 teaspoon salt

·         1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

·         1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

·         1/4 cup granulated sugar

·         1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

·         4 large egg whites, at room temperature

·         1/4 cup maple syrup

·         1/2 cup half-and-half, at room temperature

·         1/2 cup chopped cooked bacon (5 strips)

 

For the Frosting:

·         1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature

·         2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

·         2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

·         1/4 cup maple syrup

·         2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

·         3 strips bacon, cooked and chopped

 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place paper liners in a 12-cup muffin tin. Prepare the cupcakes: Combine the flours, pudding mix, baking powder, potato starch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a bowl with a whisk.

In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugars with a mixer on low speed until combined, 6 to 8 minutes. Gradually mix in the vanilla and egg whites. Scrape down the sides of the bowl; continue mixing until light and fluffy. Add the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the maple syrup and half-and-half, mixing after each addition and ending with flour. Mix until the ingredients are just combined; do not overmix. Fold in the bacon.

Pour the batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each cup about three-quarters of the way. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool completely.