December Desserts

I told myself that December would be full of posts about holiday foodstuffs, and just look at how I've failed! Since I wasn't able to deliver on that front, I'll just give summary of some of the golden moments of the last month of 2011:

1. Maple Bacon Cupcakes

Some of you may scoff, but let's be honest: elephant toes would be on menus today if they were served with bacon, because salty pig fat is heaven on earth. The combination of maple and bacon causes my salivary glands to dance a jig of joy, and these cupcakes were a splendid marriage of the two flavors. The key was a bit of bacon fat and crumbles inside the cupcakes, with maple frosting to top them off. You can find the recipe here!

2. The next adventure was English Toffee, which began with good intentions....

and plenty of sugar, fat, and chocolate. The end result was tasty, but so sticky and chewy that my poor mother ripped a crown right off of her tooth! Not a treat I am very proud of....

3. So I made up for it with a birthday cake for my sister:

White cake (Cook's Illustrated) with a hint of almond and a vanilla buttercream frosting. I piped a buttercream chrysanthemum on top for some festive flair. The cake recipe is one of the best I've found, but it's not surprising considering the source. I hate to sound like a broken record, but Cook's Illustrated is the best.

4. I repeated that recipe for my friend Lauren's birthday, but this time in cupcake form:

We were so stuffed with homemade sushi that the cupcakes felt like more of a burden than a blessing, but hopefully the leftovers will be enjoyed sans-overly full stomachs.

Noms!!