As I have mentioned before, most of my friends do not cook – and although all of my friends like to eat, I have very few that are obsessed with food like me, or that I would consider a “foodie.” Most of my friends find it humourous that I want to talk about food and restaurants all the time . Other friends are just happy that I love to cook, and definitely benefit from the endless baked goods that come from my kitchen.

Last year my older daughter had a secret crush on a boy in her class. I say it is secret, because she didn’t talk about it – but it was obvious to me. One day she asked if I could become friends with his mother so that I could invite her over to our house, and his son could come too. Ok, that was how I figured out about the crush… I don’t have a lot of free time in my life to socialize, but over the course of the school year, I realized that we actually did have a lot in common – specifically food. On the occasion I would make it to school to pick my daughter up, it was so great to talk to someone about food and restaurants while waiting for the bell to ring.

A few months ago she told me about these muffins she made – and she said I had to make them for the blog. When someone like that gives me a tip, I listen. She said they were delicious, and looked outrageous – and she was right. I made these for dinner one night, and they were a big hit – the tender muffin with big chunks of salty bacon – and that egg in the center, delicious!! They are super easy, but read the directions carefully. Thanks for the great recipe and for sharing my love for food!

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 pound thick-cut bacon, cooked crisp and finely chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 cup whole milk

7 large eggs

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease 6 jumbo muffin tins (or 1-cup ramekins) with non-stick spray and set aside.

Whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, bacon, chives and cheese in a large bowl. Combine the milk and one egg in a small bowl, and add to the dry ingredients, along with the melted butter. Fold the ingredients together gently until no dry spots remain.

Spoon about 1/4 cup batter into each of the muffin tins. Using a soft spatula, spread the batter up the sides of the tins a bit, leaving a depression in the middle of the batter. Crack an egg into the center of each cup, and divide the remaining batter between the cups, making sure you cover the yolk. It’s easiest if you work with small dollops of batter. When you cover the yolk, it will spread out when it bakes.

Bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes, until the visible egg white is set and the muffins are just barely beginning to crack. (They won’t be very brown.) Cool 5 minutes, then run a small knife around the edges of each muffin to release. Serve hot.

Makes 6 muffins.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Bacon and Egg Muffins