Maple Bacon Kettle Corn

joythebaker — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 20:31:20 +0000

Things that I’m really good at:

cooking bacon, eating popcorn, writing on graph paper, text messaging, and typing simple equations into my calculator.

Things that I really suck at:

math.

I already have a serious problem with kettle corn.

A few months back I ate only kettle corn for a week straight.

You think I’m kidding. I’m not.

Now I’ve gone and cooked the kettle corn in bacon fat and added crisp bacon bits and maple syrup.

This can’t end well.

It will surely end with one sticky computer.

Oh well.?

Maple Bacon Kettle Corn

Print this Recipe!

4 slices bacon, cooked, fat reserved

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1/2 cup corn kernels

1/4 cup cooking fat (use the reserved bacon fat and extra olive or vegetable oil to make 1/4 cup of popcorn cooking fat)

3 Tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons salt (depending on your taste)

Cook off bacon until brown and crisp. Set aside to cool. Once cool, chop into small bits and toss with maple syrup.

Carefully measure out the hot bacon grease. If you don’t have 1/4 cup of fat, add some vegetable or canola oil to make 1/4 cup of oil for cooking the popcorn.

In a large pan over medium high heat, heat the bacon fat and oil mixture. Add the corn kernels. Sprinkle over the sugar and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid and wait for the popping to begin.

Once the popping begins, use two good pot holders the hold together the pan and the lid and shake the pot. Feel free to take the pot off the flame to give it a good shake. Just be careful and then return the pot to the flame. Shake often throughout the popping process. This will help ensure that the sugar doesn’t burn the pan and the popcorn.

Once finished popping remove the lid and salt with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon more salt. Use a large spoon to stir the popcorn. You don’t want the hope sugar to burn you. Pour in the bacon and maple mixture. Toss together and serve.

Maple Pecan Muffins

joythebaker — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 07:07:22 +0000

Today’s Maple Pecan Muffins are dedicated to Tracey.

Tracey, you are dear and darling… and 15, which is equal parts hard and rad, I know.

Let me tell you a little about Tracey. Tracey had her 15th birthday last week. Tracey’s best friend Maggie sent me a pretty precious email asking me if I would send Tracey an autographed picture of myself for her birthday. See, Tracey is a great baker and a huuuuge fan of my site.

I’m not the sort to have pictures of myself to autograph on hand… that would be totally weird, so I sent Tracey a little birthday gift and handwritten note. Easy enough, right? In return Tracey sent me a very long, very excited, exceedingly adorable email to thank me for her birthday present. Seriously friends… this girl is priceless.

After reading Tracey’s email a handful of times (it was packed to the gills with information), here are a few things I want you to know about my new friend:

Tracey makes a mean lemon pound cake with blueberry sauce.

Tracey almost set her house ablaze trying to make these doughnuts.

Tracey is obsessed with muffins… and feeds them to her dog. Let’s all just pretend like that’s normal.

Tracey got a “Tracey the Baker” apron for her birthday. Clearly I have competition.

By sharing loads homemade cookies, Tracey is well on her way to becoming the most popular girl in school. Don’t get too popular Tracey… it might be overrated.

Tracey giggles a lot… not in emails, but this is just something I’ve surmised from being 15 and eating a lot of sugar once upon a time.

Tracey? Is that Jesus peeking over your shoulder on your fridge there? If so… awesome. If not… awkward.

Tracey these muffins are my little shout out to you because it seems like you get as excited about eggs and butter and sugar and flour as I do. That makes me happy. Thank you.

Oooh Maple Pecan Muffins. Holy smokes these muffins are good.

Here’s the trick with these muffins: use real maple syrup. Don’t even think about using the pancake syrup you might have hiding in your fridge. No way friend-o!

These muffins are moist, sweet, drenched in maple flavor and just lovely for Autumn. The pecans round out the sweetness and add just the right crunch. Weekend breakfast? Heck yes! You win!

Maple Pecan Muffins

adapted from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook

makes 12-16 cupcakes

Print this Recipe!

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cups sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cup buttermilk

1 egg

1/2 vanilla bean scraped or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 Tablespoons browned butter (start with 6 tablespoons and melt it down just over 5 Tablespoons)

3/4 cup maple syrup, divided

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans, plus 12 pecan haves (or the largest pecan pieces of the bunch for topping the muffins)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners and set aside.

In a small saucepan, melt 6 tablespoons of butter over medium flame. Butter should crackle and foam and then produce little brown bits at the bottom of the pan. Turn flame to low, scrape brown bits from the bottom of the pan (that’s where all the flavor is hiding) and remove from heat to cook a bit before using.

In a large bowl sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl whisk together buttermilk, egg and vanilla bean or extract.

Add the wet ingredients all at once to the dry ingredients and stir with a large spoon until just incorporated. Add melted butter and carefully mix until incorporated. Add the chopped nuts and half of the maple syrup (you can eyeball half of 3/4 cup) and fold until evenly dispersed throughout the batter.

Fill the muffin cups until about two thirds full (I was able to make 16 cupcakes). Place a large pecan piece on top of each unbaked muffin and drizzle all of the muffins with the remaining maple syrup.

Bake muffins for 20-25 minutes or until a metal skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow to cool in the muffin pan for 10 minutes before removing to serve.

Joy the Baker » maple

Maple Bacon Kettle Corn

Maple Pecan Muffins