Weekends at our house are a time for more leisurely breakfasts… things that require more effort than the opening of a box and a pouring of cereal and milk into a bowl. Weekends are for stirring, sifting, baking… the smell of bacon or sausage wafting up the stairs, rousing the kids enough that they come into the kitchen and eagerly ask “what are you making for breakfast, mom?”
Bacon and Cheese Breakfast Muffins are actually simple enough to make on a weekday, especially because the end result is a hand held package of breakfast loving goodness, but they are indulgent enough for a savory weekend breakfast as well.
With spring around the corner, our weekends will be changing… baseball and soccer games will interrupt our winter weekend morning rituals of slow and steady. Until then, we’ll savor every quiet morning we can, wrapped in the comfort of a leisurely weekend breakfast.
Before I move on to the recipe, I wanted to share how I make bacon. My mother-in-law started doing this years ago and I thought it was so brilliant. Baking bacon in the oven is a technique that many people use. It reduces the mess of bacon splattering all over the cooktop and results in perfectly cooked, tender yet crispy bacon. I usually preheat the oven to 425 degrees and cook the bacon on a foil lined baking sheet for 15-20 minutes. Once cooked, carefully remove the bacon from the pan using tongs and blot with a paper towel to lessen the amount of bacon grease. Another, and more preferred technique, is to place a wire cooling rack on top of a foil lined cookie sheet. This allows the bacon grease to drip onto the pan, leaving your bacon to be less greasy. My cooling rack is too big which is why I currently use this other method. For complete instructions on cooking bacon in the oven and storing it afterwards, visit my friend Shaina’s post!
Recipe: Bacon and Cheese Breakfast Muffins with a Kick (recipe adapted from Taste of Home)
- 1 egg
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled (use kitchen shears to easily chop bacon)
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Zatarain’s Creole Seasoning
- In a large bowl, beat the egg, milk and oil together. Stir in the bacon crumbles and shredded cheddar cheese.
- Add the dry ingredients, stirring as you go, incorporating just until blended.
- Fill greased muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes until cooked all the way through. Cool for 5 minutes and remove from the muffin pan, placing on a wire rack to cool. Best served when warm.
These would be perfect for lunch too. Or tailgating or with a soup for dinner! I want some now!
I love me a savory muffin. You simply can’t go wrong with bacon and cheese. Absolutely delicious.
Those muffins look like a great addition to weekend breakfast! I don’t know if I’d get any because I know my boys would devour them!
Bacon, bacon, bacon. These look so good, Kristen! Perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
I was looking forward to this recipe after seeing that beautiful Instagram photo this morning. It sounds delicious! And, I love the tip on an easier way to cook bacon. Thank you!
these look wonderful, Kristen! Tomorrow I am working on all of my breakfast stuff for the week (love having stuff in the freezer) and these would be a perfect addition!
I love bacon and cheese breakfast muffins! And baking the bacon in the oven is my favorite way to do it as well – especially if you are doing large batches. I must try this recipe soon. Thanks Kristen!
I love weekends for the same exact reason! We all slow down, stay in our pajamas for at least a little while, and laugh over breakfast.
we just had bacon and eggs for dinner last night….I could have made these!! These look delicious Kristen
Those muffins look perfect! We haven’t had a free weekend morning in ages, I miss baking and relaxing with my cup of coffee. I’ll be saving this recipe for the first weekend off we have! 🙂
Those look so yummy!!! I might have to try making them!
I bought the ingredients this morning. Will make them on my day off tomorrow and report back. Can’t wait!
This recipe sounds amazing!! I love the Zataran’s spice add!!!
Made these this morning – they were delicious. Made 12 muffins. Kids loved them. I loved them.
These would be great with a big pot of beans. Just what is in my crockpot now!
These would be great for breakfast. What can go wrong with bacon and cheese?
I cant’ wait to try these! Loved the idea when I saw them on IG and they look even better on the big screen. thanks!
Bacon and cheese muffins! This sounds so delicious!
i LOVE it! gosh i’m starving!
I love that these muffins aren’t sweet. Sometimes you just don’t want something sweet in the morning, you know?
These muffins are absolutely delicious! Very easy to make! The hardest part was waiting for the bacon to finish so I could put it all together.
Stumbled upon your recipe, just made them and they are absolutely delish!
How many muffins does this recipe make – one dozen?
I cook bacon in the Oven as well…but for a less greasy finished product, tear off about 3-4 inches more foil than you need for the pan, and then every inch pinch it so that it creates a rasied bed for the bacon to lay on….this way you don’t dirty a rack, the bacon cooks crispy, but the grease drips off, and in once everything has cooled, you can just throw the foil away, grease and all.
Also, these look delicious, I am making tonight, and I bet they are just as good with sausage and gouda, or other savory combos!
That is absolutely brilliant! Thanks for the tip!
I LOVE these! I love make ahead breakfasts! We always try to put a little more effort into breakfasts on the weekends too! These are so great, Im not always in the mood for a sweet breakfast, but savory makeaheads can be hard! Definitely adding this to the rounds!
These look delicious, Kristin! And love the bacon method- less grease!!
I love baking the bacon, but I don’t bother to line the pan with foil. I pour the grease off about halfway through so the bacon will crisp up better, and pour whatever is still in the pan at the end off also. I have a grease keeper that I use for it, I never throw it away, that would be a shame. It’s great for scrambling eggs, sauteeing or roasting veggies, or even for making savory biscuits (bet it would work in these muffins!) and imparts that smoky flavor to everything you use it in. It cuts down on the butter or oil I would normally use for those applications, so it saves money, and it’s not being wasted.
These look AMAZING
Hi! Looks like a great recipe, could these be put in the freezer for a couple of days? If so, how would you re-heat them?
Made these today. Best muffins I’ve made. I used cream instead of milk, just to use it up, Used a cajun spice mix, which added just the right amount of spice. Cut the sugar in half and used brown instead of white. I should have added more cacon, and will next time.
Thank you so much for letting me know! I love your changes!