Chocolate Beer Cupcakes with Maple Buttercream and Caramlized Bacon

Ingredients

Cupcakes

• 1/2 cup dark beer (any stout or porter)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temp
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup sour cream

Beer Glaze

• 3 Tb brown sugar
• 1/2 cup dark beer
• 2 Tb unsalted butter
• 1-2 Tb cream

Maple Buttercream Frosting

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temp
• 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 Tb maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Caramelized Bacon

• 1/4 cup real bacon bits (or chopped fresh cooked bacon)
• 2 Tb unsalted butter
• 2 Tb brown sugar
• 1/4 dark beer

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners.
2. Heat beer and butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer.
3. Remove beer and butter from heat, stir in cocoa powder and let cool.
4. Meanwhile, mix flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl.
5. Beat egg and sour cream with an electric mixer until well combined
6. Add cocoa/beer mixture to sour cream mixture, and beat.
7. Slowly add flour mixture and fold in with a soft spatula or wooden spoon.
8. Pour in to lined muffin tins, ~2/3 cup batter per tin
9. Bake at 350� until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean, about 17 minutes
10. Let cool completely.

Beer Glaze

1. Mix brown sugar and beer in a sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook until liquid is reduced by half
2. Remove from heat. Add butter and cream and whisk until smooth.

Maple Buttercream Frosting

1. Beat butter with an electric mixer until fluffy, about 5 minutes.
2. Slowly add powdered sugar and beat until well incorporated.

Caramelized Bacon

1. Melt butter and brown sugar in a sauce pan over low heat and whisk until smooth.
2. Add bacon bits and mix to coat with caramel.
3. Increase temperature to medium-high. Add beer and continue to cook until beer is reduces to a syrupy consistency.

Assembly

1. Dip cupcake tops in Beer Glaze, frost with Maple Buttercream and top with Caramelized Bacon.