Thyme-spiked Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins

Oh, the early days of summer, how I adored your bounty of rhubarb and strawberries! Growing up, the bulk of rhubarb stalks from our backyard turned into a sauce with a bit of a twist...a packet of strawberry jello. Just a touch of sugar. But nostalgic as it is, fresh strawberries make the compote even better.

This recipe starts with a perfectly sweet, sour and savory compote dressed up with a bit of thyme. A dollop is spooned into each muffin tin along with the sweet, cakey batter. The oozing filling is the perfect touch to an already amazing strawberry-rhubarb muffin.

adapted from Kosher Camembert

yields 16 muffins

The Ingredients:
for the compote
1 1/4 cup diced rhubarb
1/2 cup diced strawberries
1/3 cup sugar
juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 tsp dried thyme

for the muffins
2 cups of all purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup canola oil
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1/3 cup diced strawberries
1/2 cup diced rhubarb
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking powder

The Process:
for the compote
In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, combine the rhubarb, strawberry, sugar, and lemon.

Stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and continue to cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Gently mash any remaining fruit pieces with a fork. Allow to cool to room temperature.

for the muffins
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly oil a muffin tin.

In a large mixing bowl, Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Add the oil, vanilla, fruit, and eggs. Stir until just combined.

Spoon 2-3 Tbsp of batter into each muffin cup. Top with a healthy dollop of compote.

Divide the remaining batter between the muffin cups, filling no more than 2/3 full.

Bake 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Bourbon Cream Cheese Frosting and Candied Bacon

I made these beauties a while back, during a fit of madness in the kitchen. Unfortunately the madness hit the same time I was in the midst of a long lapse in blogging. But the recipe lives on!

the recipe is my own

yields 16-20 cupcakes and a lot of extra frosting

The Ingredients
Bourbon Chocolate Cupcakes:
1/2 c cocoa powder
1 cup boiling water
1 1/3 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick butter, room temp
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp bourbon

Bourbon Cream Cheese Frosting: 
8 oz cream cheese, room temp 
1 stick unsalted butter, room temp 
1/8 tsp salt (or use salted butter) 
3-3 1/2 cup powder sugar, sifted 
1- 2 Tbsp bourbon 
1-2 Tbsp milk

Candied bacon: 
5 stripes of bacon 
2/3 cup brown sugar 

The Process
for the cupcakes
Preheat oven to 375 and line 16-20 cupcake tins

Whisk together boiling water and cocoa powder, set aside. Combine flour, salt and baking powder, set aside. Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time until incorporated. Whisk in vanilla and bourbon. Add flour mixture, alternating with chocolate mixture, until just combined. Do not over mix.

Fill cups 1/2 to 2/3 full. I had enough for about 18...they did puff up quite a bit.

Bake 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

for the frosting
cream together cream cheese, butter and salt until fluffy. Add sugar, a cup at a time, alternating with 1 Tbsp liquid. I started with 2 Tbsp bourbon and found I did not need the milk to further beat it to a spreadable consistency. 2 Tbsp Bourbon was enough with that amount of powdered sugar.

Spread or pipe onto cupcakes.

for the bacon
preheat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with foil.

Cut bacon into quarters and press each piece, both sides, into the brown sugar, coating as evenly as possible. Arrange in a single layer on the baking sheet.

Bake 10-20 minutes. This largely depends on the thickness of the bacon. The most recent bacon I used was a Patrick Cudhay which seemed sliced incredibly thin...8 minutes tops. But I've had thick cut bacon take nearly half and hour before. You want to cook the bacon until the sugar has caramelized the bacon is still slightly pliable.

Transfer to a plate or wire rack to cool...it will crisp up more as it cools. Do NOT place the bacon on paper towel to drain. The sugar coating will cause stick.

Allow to cool completely and then use as garnish on the cupcakes.
Enjoy!