Makin' whoopie: Red velvet whoopie pies with Italian brown butter and bacon buttercream

Not part of the plan.

The whole point of making red velvet whoopie pies with Italian brown butter and bacon buttercream was to highlight how peeved I've become with the prominence of bacon-themed desserts.  Cured pork belly's in everything, and it's got to stop.

Bacon brioche bread pudding?  No thanks.

Simplified bacon chocolate crunch bar with gianduja, peanut butter, and feuilletine?  Actually, that sounds pretty awesome.

Bacon-glazed donuts? Alright, my love for donuts compels me to try this, but I swear I'll resent myself just a little for it.

As Eric Vellend pointed out in the Toronto Star, bacon is a "food trend with the half-life of uranium."

I thought I could mock the fad by making the trendiest dessert I could think of, and let's be honest, like bacon, red velvet, whoopie pies, and brown butter have oversaturated the dessert scene of late.  My only regret is that I didn't batter and fry each pie (or at least add balls of deep fried butter to them).

Like many of my plans, this one backfired.  The first problem is that my red velvet whoopie pies look, well, brown and lumpen (the word 'turd' comes to mind).  The second, and larger problem, at least for someone trying to mock a trend, is that Italian brown butter and bacon buttercream tastes pretty awesome.

The smokiness of bacon melds beautifully with the complex flavours of brown butter, while its crispness adds a snappy contrast to the silky texture of buttercream.  It's not quite chocolate and peanut butter, but everyone that's tasted it agrees it's pretty damn good.

So these pies have me reevaluating: Why do I loathe all that bacon in my sweets?

Don't get me wrong, bacon is great.  My favourite bacon in Toronto comes from The Healthy Butcher, though I made this dish with delectable oink from Cumbrae's.  I use bacon frequently in savoury dishes, and I always have a ramekin of bacon fat sitting in my fridge to sauté pretty much anything.

But donuts and chocolate don't need bacon (though nothing can rescue a Bounty or Big Turk), especially while baconless brussels sprouts still stalk our planet.

And that's my problem: adding bacon to everything is too damn easy.

Bacon has become a shortcut.  No, that's not far enough.

Bacon is a cult, and we need to be deprogrammed.

Comments

[woman]

I love bacon! I am really gonna try this….

[Alexa]

You are back and badder than ever. I love bacon, but I don't know if I have the intestinal fortitude to make a bacon whoppie pie. It is so great to see you here again. GREAT.

[Alexa]

You are back and badder than ever. I love bacon, but I don't know if I have the intestinal fortitude to make a bacon whoppie pie. It is so great to see you here again. GREAT.

[Ian]

I do have to admit, bacon choco-chip cookies are yummy, but the bacon really isn't needed.

Having said that, I'm not ready to completely relinquish the bacon experiments. These look stupidly good, and I might just have to come for a visit soon. Great to see you blogging again.

[driving school worcester]

It looks so yummy. I'm just afraid that it might ruin people's diet. Don't you think?

[Nutritional Supplement]

Nothing but just too good

[webdesign]

i like this dish
it sounds yummy
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[Weber Grill Recipes]

Ah! What a delicious looking! It's make me hungry :)

[My Hosting]

Oh MY, bacon buttercream? Amazing!

[adam]

Best lookin recipe I've seen in a long time.

[Mary]

These look great but I do not know about the bacon. I have heard about alot of people loving bacon on everything but...on something sweet? I am going to have to give these a try and see what I think about it. I will let you know.

[wholesale Bakery]

It looks very tempting. I like the art of biting into the crust that will yield the delicious filling.

[Buy Biscuits Online]

Nice blog.. Thanks for sharing this information with us