Maple Bacon Donut Muffins

So what's better then dessert?!?! Dessert with some form of crunchy BACON on top!! DUHHH!! So here is the best of everything in life, a donut in muffin formed with a sweet maple glaze and bacon sprinkled on top. One rule: DONT FALL IN LOVE!!! 

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 to 1 ¼ teaspoons ground nutmeg, to taste (I used ¾)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk

GLAZE:

2C powdered sugar

1/4C pure maple syrup

2-3 Tbsp water

8-10 slices bacon, cooked and roughly chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a standard muffin tin. Or line with 12 paper muffin cups, and grease the cups with non-stick vegetable oil spray; this will ensure that they peel off the muffins nicely.
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter, vegetable oil, and sugars till smooth.
3. Add the eggs, beating to combine.
4. Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla.
5. Stir the flour into the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined.
6. Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pan, filling the cups nearly full.
7. Bake the muffins for 15 to 17 minutes, or until they're a pale golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the middle of one of the center muffins comes out clean. 
8. 8. In a medium bowl, beat together icing          ingredients. Dip cooled donuts in icing. Immediately sprinkle with cooked,   chopped bacon.

ENJOY!!!!

Waffles with Maple Pecan syrup

***MAKE SYRUP AHEAD OF TIME***

This is the perfect meal to make on Sunday mornings. Warm waffles, warm homemade syrup and pecans....there is in no way this can make your Sunday morning brighter. My son, Kai, said "this is te best syrup". Some of us are these with fresh strawberries and fresh whipped cream. Enjoy!!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup cornstarch 

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup buttermilk 

1/3 cup veg. oil

1 egg

1 1/2 tsp sugar 

3/4 tsp vanilla

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; mix well. Add the milk, vegetable oil, egg, sugar and vanilla and mix well. Let the batter sit for 30 minutes.

Preheat a waffle iron. Do not use non-stick spray on the waffle iron; the oil will keep them from sticking. 

Maple Pecan Syrup

1/2 cups chopped pecans 

1 cup of sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup of water

1 tsp maple extract

Combine both sugars and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Let it boil for about a minute or two, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool for 2 or 3 minutes. Add maple extract. Let cool completely; the syrup will be thicker the colder it is. 

Store in the fridge for up to…forever, as far as I know. We’ve never had ours go bad, but then again it usually doesn’t last that long.