Breakfast Cupcakes

For the cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line muffin tins with 24 paper cupcake liners. Alternatively, you can use the foil baking cups on plain cookie sheets (no muffin tins necessary).

Cream 2/3 cup of the butter in mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add in flour and sugar and continue mixing. Add in bananas until well incorporated. Add buttermilk, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and eggs. Mix on medium speed until well blended.

Pour into lined muffin tins or foil baking cups. Cook for 19 minutes. Check doneness by inserting toothpick in middle of cupcake. If it comes out clean, they’re done. If not, cook for another 2-3 minutes and recheck.

When done, remove from oven and cool completely.

For the frosting:
Cook bacon until crispy. Crumble half of the slices into small pieces. (This can be done by hand, but I use a mortar and pestle to smash the bacon slices.) Break the remaining slices into large chunks to be used as garnish for the frosted cupcakes.

Whip unsalted butter on high speed of mixer until light and fluffy (5 minutes). Turn to low speed and add powdered sugar a little at a time. Once all powdered sugar has been added, turn up to medium speed and whip until fluffy (2 minutes). Add maple syrup and extract; continue to whip 1 more minute. Turn mixer off and remove bowl. Add crushed bacon and stir.

Frost cooled cupcakes and garnish with remaining bacon pieces.