A savory treat is most welcome in my house. The familiar smell of bacon and eggs over cinnamon is a welcome change for me and breakfast for everyone is extra special. The original recipe was plain and simple cheese muffins and my first instinct was only to add bacon. A cheesy bacon muffin is the recipe for a Monday morning.
And I improvised further… upgrading to mac and cheese muffins. Of course I still added bacon, that dream could not be let off. But I restricted it to only half the batch in consideration for my vegetarian friends. Apart from that, I added a dash of freshly ground pepper.
A couple of these creamy and cheesy muffins is an entire meal by itself. They could also be served along with a bowl of warm soup or a nice pasta. It surely is the perfect treat to satiate all your mac and cheese cravings without feeling the guilt of an entire bowl.
I do want to try these with more mix-ins. Some of the ideas I want to try the next time include:
– Adding a handful of caramelized onions to the batter sans the macaroni and bacon. – Adding tiny bits of crispy spinach. – Add diced ham or prosciutto. – Tiny bits of parsley or basil. – I imagine roasted peppers would make a great addition.Or of course, just eat them as plain cheese muffins.
Over to the recipe: Bacon, Macaroni and Cheese: Comfort food at its best.
- 1½ cups flour
- 1½ tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 3 cups shredded colby-jack cheese
- 1 cup milk
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup (1/2 stick) melted butter (I used salted)
- 12 cooked pasta shells (I used jumbo shells)
- Preheat the oven to 375F and grease or line a 12 hole muffin pan
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and pepper. Stir in 21/2 cups of cheese.
- In a separate bowl, whisk egg, milk, and butter together.
- Pour milk mixture into dry ingredients and stir with a spoon to combine.
- Scoop about 1 tablespoon of the batter into the muffin pan and add one pasta shell in each cup and then fill with another tablespoon until the cup is ⅔ full. Top with the remaining cheese
- Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Muffin Monday: Round Up
Happy Baking!
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