Autumn makes me think of maple for some reason…

Wow, I didn’t even notice it’s been that long since my last post!  I’ve been quite busy with something really exciting and there’s just so much behind the scenes and prep work going on.  I’ll share those news later when we’ve got everything ironed out :).

For today, I have something sweet once again.  Whenever I think of the autumn season I think of maple, as in maple syrup…is that strange?  I’m not really sure if maple syrup is even harvested during autumn, but it’s just stuck in my mind. I had to let the thought out through cupcakes, of course!  I made French Toast cupcakes with MAPLE cream cheese frosting sprinkled with MAPLE bacon bits and paired it with a card using the Don’t Worry! and Harvest Blessings sets from Our Daily Bread designs:

My baking helpers sprinkling on the maple bacon.  I had to keep an eye on them to make sure they weren’t eating the bacon.  No “a sprinkle of bacon for the cupcake and a handful of bacon for me” happenings.  Don’t feel sorry for them because I did fry some up for them to gobble up :).

These mini cupcakes are perfect for a quick breakfast on the go!  Yes, I would have thought the bacon thing was a little weird for sweet cupcakes, but I saw an episode of Cupcake Wars where a baker added bacon and strawberries for a cupcake topping and I figured why not?  Bacon and French toast sounded like a winner to me and from the looks of my sons chowing down on them they were YUMMILICIOUS!

But if I must be honest, I cheated…I doctored up a cake mix AND ready-made frosting . Here’s the super simple recipe:

French Toast Cupcakes

1 box of yellow cake mix

1 package of vanilla instant pudding mix (3.4 oz)

1 1/4 cup milk

3/4 cup oil

3 large eggs

1 tbsp. ground cinnamon

*Blend all ingredients with an electric mixer until smooth.  Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake at 350°F for 15 minutes for standard size cupcakes.  For minis, bake at 325°F for 18 minutes.  I like minis since all you do is unwrap and pop the whole thing in your mouth!

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 can of ready-made cream cheese frosting

1 tbsp. maple syrup

*Stir in maple syrup and pipe onto cupcakes. 

Bake or fry up some maple bacon, crumble into small pieces and sprinkle over cupcakes.

===>Grab a cup of cold milk or hot latte and enjoy!

Card Recipe

Stamp: ODBD Don’t Worry! and Harvest Blessings

Ink: Versamark

Paper: Basic Grey Max & Whiskers, Stampin’ Up! (Garden Green, Summer Sun), watercolor paper

Accessories: Martha Stewart Layered Arches punches (border and corner), Cuttlebug Seeing Spots embossing folder, Spellbinders (Classic Square Small, Classic Scalloped Square Small), Ranger Super Fine black detail embossing powder, rhinestones, yellow organza ribbon, Scor-Pal (to create box), acetate, watercolor markers, 1/4” Scor-Tape