Bacon, Egg and Toast Cups

Hi dabblers. Hope your Mother's Day weekend was filled with lots of love, family and fabulous food. Here is the recipe for the Bacon, Egg and Toast Cups. I had a lot of fun making these and they turned out wonderfully. This recipe yields 12 muffin-sized cups. I would allow for at least 2 cups per person, 3 if you have a lot of big eaters. These cups were a very simple way to serve a crowd, and they plated beautifully. A great recipe for breakfast/brunch parties. Have fun :)

Ingredients for the Cups:

-2 tbsp melted butter

-12 slices Sourdough Bread

-1 garlic clove

-6 slices of bacon

-12 eggs

Ingredients for the Topping:

-sea salt, black pepper

-parmesan cheese (appx. 1/2 c)

- chives, parsley, coarsely chopped (appx 2 tbsp each)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the  oven to 400°F. Butter 12 standard size muffin cups.

2. Place a baking rack onto a sheet pan and arrange the bacon slices on the rack. Bake until the bacon starts to crisp. Carefully remove the  pan from the oven and transfer the  bacon to a paper-towel lined plate.

3. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F.

4. Using a rolling pin, flatten out the slices of sourdough bread.

5. Using a 4" cup, cut the bread slices into rounds.

6. Place  a round into muffin cup. Use the extra bread scraps to patch any holes.

7. Lightly brush each cup with melted butter. Bake the cups in the oven for 5-7 minutes until slightly crisp.

8. Rub each cup with  the garlic clove.

9. Cut the bacon slices in half. Place one piece into each cup.

10. Crack an egg into each cup.

11. Bake until the eggs are set. (20-25 minutes)

12. Top each cup with salt and pepper and sprinkle with parmesan cheese, chives and parsley.

13. Use a butter knife to remove the cups from the muffin pan. Serve warm and enjoy!

Pictures and Tips:

Step 2. Place a baking rack on top of a sheet pan. Arrange the bacon slices on the rack. This setup will allow the bacon fat to drip into the sheet pan. You could also could cook the bacon in a pan over the stove, but I like this method because you don't have to tend to the bacon. After you get the bacon in the oven, you can start in on the cups.

* This recipe calls for 6 slices of bacon, but I baked the entire package because let's be real...can you ever have too much bacon? Save it for a delicious lunchtime BLT, or eat it while you are preparing the cups as a chef's snack :)

Bake the bacon until it starts to get crispy. The color will change and the edges will start to curl. Adjust the baking time to your desired bacon crispyness. Remember that the bacon will cook a little more when the cups are baked.

Step 4. For this recipe, I made the Sourdough Bread in loaf pans for easy slicing. To do this, place the dough into the loaf pan for the last rise before baking.

Use a rolling pin to flatten out the slices of sourdough bread.

Step 5. Using a cup as a guide, cut rounds out of the bread slices. I used a 4" diameter glass cup from my kitchen. If you don't have one, substitute in something circular from your kitchen.

Here is a picture of a cut-out round.

Step 6. Place the bread round into the buttered muffin pan. Use your fingers to lightly push the round down into the pan. If there are any holes, use the extra bread scraps to patch them.

Step 7. Brush each cup with melted butter. Bake the cups at 375°F for 5-7 minutes until they are slighty crispy.

Step 8. Rub each cup with the clove of garlic. The crisp edges of the cups will help release the garlic juices, creating a delicious layer of flavor in the cups.

Step 9. Cut the bacon slices in half. Place one slice in each cup.

Step 10. Crack an egg into each cup.

Step 11. Bake the cups until the eggs are set, about 20-25 minutes. You can adjust the baking time depending on how runny you like your egg yolks...just make sure the whites are set.

Step 12.  Season each cup with salt and pepper. Then top the cups with parmesan cheese, chives and parsley. 

Step 13. Use a butter knife to help you wedge the cups out of the muffin pan. Plate the cups and serve them immediately.

Here is a picture of the Mother's Day spread from my house. I made a big batch of Cinnamon Rolls and my grandma brought over a wonderful assortment of fresh fruit.

I loved the method of this recipe...It is a great one to have in your repertoire. You could switch up the fillings to make the cups your own...sausage, veggies, beat the eggs before putting them in the cups to make little quiches, etc. When I was making these, I got the idea to make the cups out of hash browns instead of toast. Hash browns are my favorite breakfast food, so that rendition is next on my list.

Enjoy this recipe and thanks for visiting.

-The Delicious Dabbler