Note: I received a bottle of Nielsen-Massey’s Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract in order to write this post. All opinions are mine alone. #BetterYourBake
How is it already nearly October? Every fall, time seems to speed up and the months for the rest of the year just fly by! With so much happening in the fall, it makes sense that it feels like things are in fast forward. But it’s important to take the time to step back and do something you enjoy amid all the chaos.
Nielsen-Massey was nice enough to remind me of that, and sent me a bottle of their Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract to do what I love: bake! Recent studies have shown that creative activities, such as baking, help people feel more relaxed and happier in their everyday lives.
But in order to benefit from the mindful nature of baking, basic techniques must first be mastered. To help learn some new baking tricks, Nielsen-Massey has developed “Better Your Bake,” which delivers technique-based videos, tips and tools to help home bakers learn and master the basics of baking with the help of Nielsen-Massey products.
I was asked to show off my newest learned skill after watching some of Nielsen-Massey’s videos: how to temper chocolate. It takes some effort, but it’s easier than an initially thought!
- Tempering chocolate is typically used for special occasions and results in a smooth, glossy chocolate coating that dries shiny and has a crisp snap
- The process involves divvying and melting a portion of the chocolate, stirring in the reserved chocolate and heating the whole batch to the required temperature
- Tempered chocolate is great for cake pops, fruit, candy molds and more
So, what could be better than chocolate covered bacon? This recipe, from Nielsen-Massey’s website, originally developed by Pastry Chef Jessica Ellington, is for Maple Bacon Cupcakes, topped with a maple buttercream frosting, crumbled bacon, and a half slice of chocolate dipped bacon. And yes, they are every bit as delicious as you are imagining!
Nielsen-Massey has a bunch of videos that are helpful for this recipe, so I’ve linked to them throughout the post.
Ingredients:
Maple Bacon Cupcakes
- 8 slices of bacon, cooked and crispy
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 4 eggs, yolks and whites separated
- 1 teaspoon Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 ½ cups cake flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup whole milk
Chocolate-Covered Bacon
- 1 cup bittersweet chocolate, chopped, divided
- 9 slices of bacon, cooked and crispy
Maple Buttercream Frosting
- ¾ cup unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks)
- 1 ½ cups pure maple syrup
- 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/3 cup half and half
- ¾ teaspoon Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
