Mini Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting and Candied Bacon

Chocolate. Peanut Butter. Bacon. What more do I need to say?

Oh yeah, you need to make these pronto. All of your favorite flavors in a tiny little cupcake.

You're welcome!

Mini Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting and Candied Bacon
Recipe written by The Chef Next Door
Makes 48 mini cupcakes
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Ingredients:
1 cup cake flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
2 eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

For the frosting:
8 oz. light cream cheese
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3-4 Tbsp milk

For the candied bacon:
6 slices center cut bacon
2 Tbsp brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray (2) 24-cup mini muffin pans with baking spray; set aside.

First make the candied bacon. Preheat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Cut the bacon slices into small bite sized pieces. Once the skillet is hot, fry the bacon until it is cooked through, brown, and crispy. A few minutes before it's completely cooked, add the two tablespoons of brown sugar to the pan and coat all of the bacon completely. Once the bacon is done, remove from the pan and drain on a few paper towels, then spread out on a plate to cool completely.

In a large bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients for the cupcakes. In a small bowl, whisk the milk, coconut oil, eggs and vanilla together. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until combined.

Fill each muffin cup about two-thirds full with batter. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then remove them to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.

While the cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting. In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the cream cheese, peanut butter and powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Add three tablespoons of the milk and mix, then add more (just a teaspoon at a time) if needed to get a spreadable consistency.

Once the cupcakes are cooled, either use a piping bag to pipe frosting onto the cupcakes or spread on with a small spatula. Top each cupcake with a few pieces of the candied bacon.

Bon Appetit!