Maple and Bacon Muffins
Posted on www.evilshenanaigans.com 4/8/2009
I am a bacon devotee. I'm not sure if you have noticed, but I love the stuff! That's why when I was challenged to create a sweet and savoury bacon muffin I jumped at the challenge!
But, this is a tale of sadness, regret, but eventual triumph!
Two months ago, on a cold January evening, I was contemplating new ways to use bacon in my baking when my husband asked, "Can you make a bacon cupcake?" A cupcake? No, not that, never that. However, a muffin I could do! So, off to research. I formulated a recipe with a brown sugar crumble and gave it a whirl.
They tasted great, but looked about as pretty as homemade soap. Not a shining moment for me, but I moved on. Next I tried no crumble and more maple. They were far too sweet and had the texture of sticky cornbread. BLEH! Long story short (too late, right?), after a few more failures I struck the right balance of salty and sweet in a tender, bulging muffins! It is this that I present to you, the perfect brunch bread. .. Maple and Bacon Muffins!
Maple and Bacon Muffins Yield 1 dozen
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup real maple syrup
Heat the oven to 400 F and line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners, or grease and flour the pan well.
Mix the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt well. Mix in the crumbled bacon.
In a separate bowl mix the milk, eggs, oil, and maple syrup.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into it. Fold gently until the dry ingredients are wet. It will be lumpy.
Scoop into the prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes.
Serve warm.
Comments
I wouldn't get in the way and might be helpful around the kitchen. What a great recipe this is. I could be biases due to the fact the house still has the aroma of just cooked bacon for the bacon/cheddar bread I'm making today. I share your love of the stuff.
I'll get a bag ready i case you decide to take me up on the offer!
Eric
I will be sure to ask my husband if we can adopt you. ;)
I hope you like the bread, BTW.
It's just that you seem to enjoy all the best deserts and snack items and do them so well. I have never been one for making these types of things but you seem to have an endless list of great treats. You are a talented baker.
Eric
I appreciate that very much!
I love to bake, and I love to think of new things to eat, or try new recipes. This is the result.
:)
that these muffins sound, wow, Maple & Bacon... makings of a gentle idyllic time warp.
...Like a weekend longing for a cool frosty morning in a warm cozy kitchen with slippers. Spying, there in the morning sunshine stands the table, blessed and spread with breakfast's simple country pleasures. I smell the coffee, feel it's warm mug, hear the rooster, and see the steam rising off these muffins, whisps dancing in the sunlight, and maple, ah yes, the melting of snow, perfect, 'tis the season for tapping maple trees. Oh, could it last forever? I Pull up a chair and sit down. "Muffin, Please!" ...
Mini O
...and what a vision, Mini! What a great muffin idea, I usually make big batches of assorted muffins for breakfast when we have huge famliy gatherings, these will be added to the repetoire, thank you gothicgirl!
First I'd like to compliment you on some wonderful muffins and nice recipe write up and lovely photos...they are mouth watering...Second are those the silicone muffin cups and if they are how do you like them?
Sylvia
I keep looking at those silicone muffin cups too. Kind of pricey, but if the stuff comes out without having to grease them, maybe they are worth it.
Great photos!
--Pamela
I put some in our Crate and Barrel wedding registry last year as an afterthought, but now I reach past my old metal ones for them every time. I haven't put anything in them that hasn't basically fallen out of them at the end of baking. They are also incredibly easy to clean. Popovers (which you absolutely can't make in metal pans without butter or cooking spray) pull right away from the sides and I can take them out with my fingers. The only thing that you might consider before you purchase a silicone muffin pan is how floppy it is. I like the thicker ones that hold their shape better. I bought a thinner one at Bed Bath and Beyond and it's a little harder to keep the batter from spilling or squeezing out when I'm transferring it to the oven, though it works just as well once it's in there.
Summer
Hi Summer, thank you for your opinion on these silicone pans. I see them all the time and have wondered if they would be able to support on their own...one thing if I did get some at least I might be able to sweeze them in an already overstocked cupboards of baking and more baking utensils! I really need to downsize now we are empty nesters! It is seems as soon as you part with something you will need it...even if it's been sitting in the cupboard forever!
Sylvia
GothicGirl,
Just when I stopped thinking about your last amazing flavour combination, here you go again!
My 7 year old's two favorite flavours in the entire world, in one neat package.
Thanks for the recipe, the stunning photos AND the inspiration to create, falter and create some more until the shining final result emerges.
Mmmm....I can smell them now!
MommaT
I have some maple syrup that my MIL recently gave to us. This will be a good recipe to try!