With the culinary excesses of Christmas day over, conventional wisdom dictates that it is prudent to spend the days after eating “light” dishes. Zingy Thai salads, wholesome turkey broths, lettuce, grapefruit...
...you get the idea. Yawn.
Conventional wisdom sucks. Once the flood gates of festive overindulgence have been opened, it is folly to close them until after New Year’s Day.
The festive period is one of those rare times when there is time for a full-on breakfast. Maple and Bacon Muffins fit the bill perfectly – they are filling, easy and unusual enough to qualify as a real treat. Whilst bacon and maple syrup is a fairly common pairing in the USA, it still has the ability to raise eyebrows in the UK. These muffins are an ideal entry-level foodstuff to introduce those not-so-adventurous eaters to this salty-sweet delight.
They are best served straight from the oven, with an extra drizzle of syrup. If you are feeling extra-indulgent, you could always serve them with a couple of slices of crispy bacon and a poached egg.
I’ve given the ingredients in American cups and in metric. I tend to use cups as I really can’t be bothered to mess about with scales at breakfast time!
Ingredients
Makes 12 muffins
2 cups (250g) All-Purpose Flour (Plain Flour)
3 teaspoons Baking Powder
¼ teaspoon Salt
1 Large Free-Range Egg
½ cup (125ml) Canola Oil (Vegetable Oil)
½ cup (125ml) Milk
⅔ cup (160ml) Pure Maple Syrup
8 Slices of Smoked Streaky Bacon
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 400°F (200°C/Gas Mark 6).
Line a twelve-bun deep-sided muffin tin with muffin cases.
Cook the bacon in the microwave! Lay four slices on a microwaveable plate, cover with a sheet kitchen paper, microwave on full power for approximately five minutes on (based on a 800W microwave). Repeat for the remaining four bacon slices. This should leave you with brittle bacon strips that you can then crumble into small pieces. (Cheat’s Tip: you could always buy pre-cooked crispy bacon – lazy and expensive, but hey it is Christmas.)
Combine all dry ingredients (except the bacon pieces) in a large bowl.
Beat together the egg, oil, milk and maple syrup in a separate bowl.
Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture, stir until you have a smooth and fairly gloopy batter.
Fold in the bacon pieces.
Spoon into the muffin cases until they are two-thirds full.
Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 20-25 minutes. They should be well risen and golden.
Leave to cool in the tin for five minutes before moving to a wire rack.
Eat whilst still warm, drizzled with maple syrup.
Alternatively, store in an airtight container for 2-3 days. Re-heat for five minutes before serving.
Images © Mark Evans for BitchBuzz.