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Chocolate Chip Banana Cupcakes

A chocolate chip banana cupcake topped with peanut butter frosting and bacon pieces

Ok, these cupcakes are kind of hardcore.

I mean, there’s meat on them.

Bacon, specifically.

And when you add bacon to desserts not only do they turn hardcore, but they suddenly they become interesting to men.

So what I am saying is that if you’re looking for a man, maybe make a bacon necklace or something.  Just an idea.

I asked on facebook a while back if you thought bacon belonged on dessert and the decision was split about 50/50…

So I decided to make some cupcakes where the meat is not totally necessary.

Optional meat.

There is a lot going on with these cupcakes…They’re Chocolate Chip Banana Cupcakes, with Peanut Butter Frosting topped with Brown Sugar Candied Bacon.

They’re a literal and figurative mouthful.

And if bacon on a cupcake isn’t your thing you can totally get your garnish on with a pretzel…

See?

Frosted banana cupcake with chocolate drizzle and pretzel pieces on top

So let’s get this party started…

First you will need some mashed bananas.

Hello…it’s a banana cupcake.

Bananas being mashed in a measuring cup

Also, I use this “Cultured Buttermilk Blend” for a lot of my cake baking that calls for buttermilk…It lasts for a while and I don’t always have buttermilk on-hand.

A yellow and white can of powdered cultured buttermilk powder

Mix up your cupcake batter…

Cupcake batter in a stand mixer

Then add in your mashed bananas…

Mashed bananas being added to cupcake batter in a stand mixer bowl

And finally some mini chocolate chips

Coating the chips in a little flour helps them not sink to the bottom.

A bowl of chocolate chips dusted with flour

Fill your liners up about 2/3 full and bake away!

Banana chocolate cupcake batter in muffin cups in a muffin tin

Here’s how they will look when they’re done…

Banana chocolate chip cupcakes on a cooling rack

Now let’s get to the meat of the cupcake…

Line a baking sheet with foil and then place a cooling rack inside the pan.

A baking sheet line with foil with a cooling rack on it

Mix up some dark brown sugar and a little bit of pepper in a shallow dish…

A scoop of dark brown sugar in a plastic container

Coat your bacon in the sugar mixture.

Two raw bacon strips in a shallow container of dark brown sugar

And place it on your rack in a single layer.

Raw bacon coated with brown sugar on a cooling rack inside a foil-lined baking sheet

Here’s the deal..while this is baking it might smoke a little…so turn your vent on.  When the sugar melts and drips, it can get a little smelly-ish.  Just a warning.

Candied bacon on a cooling rack inside a foil-lined baking pan

And only if you’re feeling meaty, garnish your cupcake with the sweet, candied bacon.

Frosted banana chocolate chip cupcake with candied bacon garnish on a plate

Or just say no and stick a few pretzels on there…either way, you’re gonna love this cupcake!

Chocolate chip banana cupcake with pretzel garnish cut in half on a plate
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Chocolate Chip Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

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Description

makes 20 cupcakes


Ingredients

Scale

Cupcake

  • 1 3/4 cup flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1 cup mashed, ripe bananas (approx 3 bananas)
  • 3/4 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips, tossed in 1 Tbsp flour

Peanut Butter Frosting

  • 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 23 Tbsp heavy cream

Candied Bacon (optional)

  • 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1012 slices center cut bacon

Instructions

Cupcakes

  1. Preheat oven to 350°
  2. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.
  3. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  4. In your stand mixer cream together your butter and sugars on medium-high speed until well combined, about 2 minutes.
  5. Add in eggs and vanilla and continue mixing until mixture is incorporated, about 1 more minute, scraping the sides of the bowl when necessary.
  6. Turn mixer to low and add in dry ingredients and buttermilk until combined. Pour in your mashed banana, combining well and then finally your chocolate chips.
  7. Fill each liner about 2/3 full and bake for 20-25 minutes until centers are set.
  8. Transfer cupcakes to wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting

  1. In you mixing bowl combine butter and peanut butter, beating on medium-high speed until creamy. Turn mixer to low and add in powdered sugar, vanilla and heavy cream. Turn mixer back up to medium and beat for 2-3 minutes until frosting is very smooth.

Candied Bacon (optional)

  1. Preheat oven to 400°
  2. Line a baking sheet (with sides) with foil and place a similarly sized cooling rack in the pan.
  3. In a medium, shallow sized bowl combine your brown sugar and pepper. Add the bacon strips 2 at a time and coat them evenly with the sugar mixture. Place them on the wire rack and top with any leftover sugar.
  4. Bake for 25 minutes until browned.
  5. Cool slightly before chopping for garnish.

Notes

Bacon can be stored in refrigerator for up to a week in an airtight container.
Cupcakes don’t have to be refrigerated and are good for up to 2 days.
adapted from The Butch Bakery

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Buttermilk Substitution

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30 comments on “Chocolate Chip Banana Cupcakes”

  1. Wildly creative and delicious! I have yet to eat something sweet with bacon, but you’re pushing me in the right direction.

  2. Erin @ Dinners, Dishes and Desserts

    My 7 year old loves bacon with desserts! I am more on the fence, but he would love these!

  3. Lauren at Keep It Sweet

    I’m not usually a fan of bacon in desserts but these look like they could be a huge exception!

  4. Now this sounds like something my brother would be a fan of… bacon and chocolate in one place?

    Also, any clue where I could get one of those bacon necklaces you speak of? Maybe it would improve my luck…

  5. I still am not sure how I feel about meat in dessert. It is all the rage, I know, and I tried brownies with bacon, and they weren’t bad… but I still am on the fence. I guess I need to just try some more to figure it out 😉

  6. Kim @ Treats & Trinkets

    I’m a bit leery of bacon in desserts, so I’ll take mine with the pretzel on top! Either way, these cupcakes sound heavenly. There’s nothing wrong with the combination of banana, chocolate, and peanut butter!

  7. Colleen @ What's Baking in the Barbershop?!

    I would absolutely love one of these cupcakes! Holy cow. Heaven in a paper cupcake liner.

  8. Averie @ Averie Cooks

    The cupcakes look so incredibly moist and tender and just…perfect! The PB buttercream. Omg.

    And then that buttermilk in a can product…now THAT is something new to me and I could totally use that! I never have buttermilk on hand and the vinegar/milk trick is fine, but that product looks cool!

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