deep fried waffles, maple bacon buttercream in bacon muffinettes

Story time. The other weekend, I was trying my hand(s) at making French Butter Cookies, or Sablés. I wanted to press the cookies into thin pretty strips, so I broke out a spritz press that was patiently waiting, dejected and unused, for some love in my cupboard. Emphasis on broke. The first cookie pressed nicely, but by the second cookie, my frail plastic press cracked, and then full-on shattered. Attempting to keep on keeping on, I worked to make the press work with just my brute strength. Unfortunately, this meant giving myself a sizeable gash with the metal tube insert, thus bleeding all over the counter and down the side of the bowl. Into the trash went the spritz press.

Not feeling terribly deterred, I gently heated the dough, and transferred it into my pastry bag, to pipe the shortbread by hand. One tray of cookies was pressed and sent to the oven. On my second batch, mid-pipe, the dough suddenly shot out the side of my pastry bag, in a graceful arc, landing with a soft ploop on the counter. There was no keeping this pastry bag going with brute strength alone. Into the trash it went.

And the rest of the dough? It was shipped off to the freezer, to be dealt with some other day.

Following these disasters, I broke the already-chipped mixing bowl in the sink. To add insult to injury, we both spilled our dinners onto the floor shortly thereafter, mine upset by the cat, who pretended to be chill, only to shock me by freaking out and then stepping in my food.

Like the darling novel Tuck Everlasting, this is a bit of a long-lived story that comes with a moral (and akin to that epic tome, one which I hope generations of children will come to discover and cherish). Lesson learned: when making buttercream one week after annihilating your pastry bag, you will have to resort to wasting a plastic ziploc. Hmm.

So, what do we have here? Well, just like this time last year, it’s my pal Mary’s favorite week of the year – Bacon Week! Always one to jump onto the bacon boat, I am so thrilled to join in on this virtual greasy-handed high five for my favorite source of fat, cholesterol, and sodium.

Cruise on over to n00bcakes to see what Mary’s cooking up for Bacon Week this year! All I’ll say is…. I’m suddenly feeling very hungry.

I was so pleased with my bacon creation last year that I decided to revisit it here. Wheras last year I made a large woven bacon bowl to go with my Potato Bacon Churros, what you see here are sweet little bacon muffinettes – only two slices of bacon per muffin cup, which works out nicely when balanced with Deep Fried Waffles and a hefty portion of Maple Bacon Buttercream.

Is this dessert, or is it breakfast? With bacon week, you don’t have to choose – you can have it both ways! Dessert breakfast it is. And I would add that these waffles, un-deep-fried, are incredible. Eggy and cinnamony and really just excellent.

Deep Fried Waffles, Maple Bacon Buttercream, served in Bacon Muffinettes

{Recipe by myself}

Cinnamon + Nutmeg Buckwheat Waffles

1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. buckwheat flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Heaping 1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
2 c. whole milk
2 eggs
6 tbsp oil
1/3 c. chopped nuts, or more if desired

Mix all ingredients until combined. Let stand for five minutes, while preheating the waffle iron. Make waffles according to waffle-maker instructions. Set aside.

Maple Bacon Buttercream

1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. (1 stick) butter
1 tbsp maple bacon fat

With a hand mixer or stand mixer or super strong arms, combine all ingredients and beat for several minutes. Set aside.

Bacon Muffinettes

Preheat oven to 410 F. For each muffinette, use two strips uncooked bacon. I used maple-flavored bacon, because it makes dessert breakfasts all the sweeter. Cut one strip in half, and lay strips in an ‘x’ in the base of a muffin tin. With the second whole strip, weave around the sides of the cut strips, to create a solid cup shape. Tuck excess woven strip behind the bacon wall/cup/side. Repeat as needed (and really, when are bacon muffinettes not needed?).

Place small paper dixie cups that are 3/4 filled with water into the center of each prepared muffinette. This will weigh down the bacon as it cooks – it needs something to keep it in place, or it will curl.

Bake for 20-30 minutes, checking them every five minutes after 15 minutes of cooking time. You will need to sop up some of the fat with a paper towel or napkin, otherwise these muffinettes will be fat city once they’ve cooled. Once cooked enough to hold their shape when cooled, remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.

Deep Fry Those Waffles!

Heat enough vegetable oil over medium-high heat for deep frying, and bring oil to 360-375F.

Cut out waffle circles by tracing the rim of a 1/4 c. or 1/3 c. measure with a knife.

When oil is hot, drop circles into the pan. They will be frying at a very high temperature, and thus will only require a few seconds (20-30) before needing to be flipped, and then a few more (10-20) before being removed from the pan.

Can I Play With Madness?: Assembly

Place each bacon muffinette on a square of parchment paper. With scissors, trim the first waffle circle until it fits into the bottom of the bacon muffin cup. Pipe enough maple bacon buttercream onto the waffle circle so that when the next circle is placed on top, the buttercream will show. Repeat with a second layer of each. Top with a third waffle circle, and a garnish of buttercream as desired. Serve, enjoy, and then go nap off the calories.

I am baconless in the woods this week.

Thus I beg of you… please enjoy some bacon for me!