This Southern comfort inspired Bacon and Egg Cornbread Muffins recipe combines all the breakfast classics into one cute little handful. Cornbread muffin batter swirled with corn kernels and scrambled eggs, then topped with crisp bacon and melted cheese. Basically you make a full breakfast and pour it into a muffin, how cool is that? Make sure to keep the cooked bacon on top, instead of mixed in, to keep it crispy while baking. Adding bacon on top before cooking melds the pieces into the batter as it forms into muffins. It’s like have a full meal on the go, but in the palm of your hand.
The texture of these muffins is wonderfully unique. Pillowy mounds of muffins form small peaks, with jagged pieces of crisp bacon jetting out like mountains. The soft and crunchy texture is recognized before even taking your first bite.
Southern foods warm the soul while delightfully dancing on your taste buds. I can just imagine a banjo playing sweet music with each bite. I’ve never been to the South but suspect these would be quite a popular menu item. Pair these with some rice and beans or shrimp gumbo for a hearty meal any time of the day. Breakfast for dinner is sometime the best. These store well in the fridge or freezer and can be warmed up for later meals.
Food Science and Cooking Tips:
- Water that is in half and half boils and makes steam as it cooks, fluffing up the eggs.
- Fat in the half and half coats the egg proteins that bond together while cooking; without this they bond together tighter and squeeze out extra moisture, creating tougher eggs.
Food Photography Tips:
Each and every recipe on Plating Pixels has food photography and food styling tips. I hope home-cooks and food bloggers can learn valuable information from these.
I shot this in natural light at 1/80 sec, f/ 2.2, ISO 400 . I wanted simplicity to come across in the photography. After all, this is a complete breakfast in a muffin. The texture and shapes are the visual stars of this recipe. A close-up really gives you a sense of the of what you’d experience when you sit down at the table and slowly enjoy these baked flavor morsels. The action shot with optional maple syrup was taken at 1/80 of a second; anything slower and the stream would blur too much. The scene was set up and the camera place on a tripod. I reached one hand out to pour the syrup, while taking multiple pictures with the other. This ensured I’d get at least one clear image.
Products used in this dish:
12-Inch Pre-Seasoned Cast-Iron Skillet
12-count Covered Muffin Pan
3-Piece Mixing Bowl Set, Blue/Green/Yellow
Commercial Quality Stainless Steel Measuring Cups and Spoons Set
11-Inch Balloon Whisk
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Bacon and Egg Cornbread Muffins
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon
- 6 large eggs
- 1 cup milk, (plus 1 tablespoon milk or half-and-half)
- Pinch of salt and black pepper, to taste
- ½ cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ cup 4-ounces shredded cheddar cheese, plus extra for garnish
- ¼ cup canned yellow corn, drained
- 12 large muffin cup liners, greased
- Maple syrup, heated (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400º F.
- Cook bacon in large skillet over medium high heat until crispy, about 6 minutes, flipping mid-way. Remove bacon and drain over paper towels (save some bacon oil for cooking eggs). Break into small ½ inch pieces.
- To scramble eggs: In small bowl, beat 4 eggs, 1 tablespoon half-and-half, and pinch of salt and pepper till combined. Add egg mixture to skillet (greased with bacon oil) over medium heat. Stir constantly by scraping bottom with spatula and folding over to mix. Heat until cooked through and no longer runny, 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat.
- In a large bowl stir together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and ½ teaspoon salt. In small bowl combine remaining 2 eggs, 1 cup milk and olive oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flower mixture. Stir until just combined and moist, still leaving batter slightly lumpy. Fold in scrambled eggs, ½ cup cheese and corn.
- Place 12 greased muffin cup liners in muffin pan. Evenly distribute batter between cups, fill to the top. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese for garnish. Place bacon pieces on top of each muffin and press in slightly. Bake 15-20 minutes at 400º until golden and cooked through (place toothpick in center to test if it comes out clean, without batter). Cool on wire rack and serve warm. Top with warm maple syrup if you want a sweet and savory breakfast. Leftovers can be stored in fridge for a few days, or frozen.
Notes:
Recipe adapted from Better Homes & Gardens: Top-Rated Recipes. Print. Spring 2014.
Thank you for this recipe! These are phenomenal! I was craving cornbread but as a diabetic needed less carbs. These came out perfectly! They stayed together for me to get out of my silicone muffin pan and cutting in half to add some butter! I switched the flour and cornmeal amounts and used butter instead of olive oil. Also added some onion powder and garlic. I expected the bacon to burn, but it is crispy and delicious! Will be making these a lot!
I love a little potable breakfast bite! These look yummy!
I could take these anywhere all the time. Thanks Cynthia!
Oh yum! These would be perfect to serve for brunch…I especially love that you drizzled on maple syrup.
They sure would Faith. Sweet and savory often work well together. Thanks!
This looks like the perfect breakfast dish!
Glad you like it. Thanks Anita!
These sound awesome and I love the addition of the drizzle of maple syrup!
The sweet at savory are a wonderful pairing. Thanks Kimberly!
Great idea! Problem is…..I would eat the half the pan. 🙂
Haha I wouldn’t say that’s a problem Carol, more like a challenge 😉
What an inventive twist on cornbread!
Thanks Brandon!
Cornbread with bacon!?! Genius!!
Thanks Megan. Yes and yes!
The kids will love this as a fun breakfast!
I’m sure they would. Thanks Ginny!
So much goodness in one tiny muffin. YUM
It sure is. Thanks Maris!
oh wow, this looks amazing! why has no one thought of this before?!
Hi Victoria. Glad you like them. It is a pretty tasty way to include all those wonderful flavors into one convenient food item.