These delicious bacon and cheese muffins are pack full of flavour and a great snack for any time of the day.
My (ever so slight) cookie obsession turned into a savoury muffin obsession this week. So these Bacon and Cheddar Muffins were created. I am especially loving these right now, since they feel slightly more healthy than their sweeter counterparts. They are also packed with plenty of other ingredients such as walnuts, leeks and wholemeal flour that make them the perfect all round breakfast muffin, full of slow energy release that’ll see you through until lunch.
Up until a week ago I was totally loving the lighter evenings that get longer each day as summer draws closer. It feels like I have extra hours in the day to do things.
That was, until Bam Bam became wise to the fact that at his supposed bedtime it was still “morning” as he put it. Why on earth should he go to sleep during the day? “But Mummy” he cried, “the sun is still up!” He ignored my explanation. And began to list reasons as to why I must the be meanest Mummy in the world to put him to bed so early……
So, this week, I shall be taking a trip to the local soft furnishings store to buy him the blackest of black out curtains I can find! Bedtime, at the normal time, will hopefully resume thereafter!
Along with these lighter evenings comes the realisation that summer is on it’s way and I am longing for that perfect bikini body! Cakes and sweet things certainly won’t make me any closer to achieving that. But don’t worry, I won’t be going to the crazy extremes of giving these things up altogether. I just need a little restraint when sampling my kitchen goodies (ha!).
Now, I won’t say that these are the quickest muffins on the planet to prepare and create since you have a few steps to follow here. BUT, the good news is that you can freeze them. You can make a big batch when you have time, freeze them and then, pop one in the fridge to defrost the night before and then warm it in the microwave or oven the next morning.
A Whole Meal in a Muffin
I know I am a total cheese addict and these savoury breakfast muffins of course, contain cheese, but bacon and cheddar together make the best combination! The addition of potatoes, leeks and walnuts on top of these, make these savoury muffins practically a whole meal in one little muffin case.
You can eat these cold or hot, whatever your preference. They make the perfect picnic snack to pack for days out and kids will love them too. They’re certainly pre-approved by my two hungry boys!
Baker’s Tips
There are endless opportunities to get creative with muffins. Just be sure to remember the golden rule of muffin making and that is don’t overmix! You don’t want to build the gluten too much. Otherwise your efforts will be wasted. Just mix enough so that everything is combined and then bake. Overmixed muffins become tough and lose their crumbly texture.
Adding a little spoonful of dried rice to the muffin tin underneath the papers help absorb the grease and prevent the muffin cases getting soggy.
Store your muffins in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Alternatively, you can freeze them once they are completely cool for up to 3 months.
If you want to, however bacon provides a lot of flavour to these muffins. If you want an alternative, try using deli meat or a vegetarian bacon option.
Yes you can, but don’t use as much onion as it has a stronger flavour and be sure to fry it and cool it before adding the onion to the mixture.
Bacon and Cheddar Muffins
Ingredients
- 100 g Plain White Flour
- 200 g Plain Wholemeal Flour
- 1 tbsp Baking Powder
- 2 Eggs
- 125 ml Milk
- 70 g Butter, Melted
- 100 g Potatoes
- 100 g Bacon
- 1 Leek
- 50 g Cheddar
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- Handful Fresh Parsley, Chopped
- Handful Walnuts, Crushed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan assisted)
- Combine the flours and add the baking powder, mix through.
- Peel and cube the potato and boil until soft, remove from the heat, drain and mash.
- Cook the bacon in a frying pan with a little oil until it begins to crisp.
- Chop the leek and add to the pan, cook until it becomes soft.
- Combine the milk, butter and eggs and add to the flour, mix a little until it is combined but be careful not to mix beyond this point.
- Chop the bacon into small pieces and add it to the mix along with the leek, potato, cheddar, parsley and pepper.
- Mix the ingredients through but try not to overmix.
- Spoon the mixture into greased muffin cases about 3/4 full.
- Sprinkle each muffin with some walnuts and a little cheddar.
- Place in the oven for 20-25 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a rack before serving, can be eaten warm or cold.
Nutrition Estimate
Looking for more snack recipes?
Try making your own falafel samosas now
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