16 Feb Piglet Muffins – Virtual Shower for Jan
Family Day is the perfect date to throw a baby shower. Mardi of eat. live. travel. write organized a virtual shower for Jan of Family Bites to coincide with this national holiday, so everyone could attend. The internet renders the vast stretches of geography irrelevant, and ensures no snow boots or hats are required during this record-breaking cold. Good. I’ve had enough of wet socks and fly-away static hair. To honour Jan and her baby-to-be, the Usual Suspects (see the list of bloggers below the recipe) are gathering online today to share some recipes in celebration.
If I were going to an in-person party, I might bring the blondies from Jan’s new book, Gatherings. But I’ve shared that recipe already. So what do you bring the mother of two teenage boys, who’s weeks away from welcoming her third child?
Leave it to a man to come up with the answer. Andrew’s suggestion — bacon. Don’t be too quick to point out his genius. Bacon is his answer for almost everything. No bonus points awarded this time round. But maybe there’s a muffin as a reward.
So, I’m bringing bacon. Caramelized no less. Just to be fancy and celebratory. Bacon. In muffin form. Portable, caramelized, cheesy Bacon. With a capital B.
Check out below what the others are bringing. This is going to be one spoiled baby!
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- 6 ounces grated smoked cheddar (about 1½ cups)
- 6 slices caramelized bacon, broken into ¼-inch pieces (recipe below, but in a pinch extra-crispy regular bacon will do)
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ¼ cup melted unsalted butter
- 1 pound sliced bacon (thick cut is best but regular will do)
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- Generous amount of freshly ground black pepper (optional)
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper. Add the cheddar and bacon to the flour mixture and toss to coat evenly.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs and melted butter. Pour over the flour mixture and stir until just blended. The batter will be thick, almost scone-like.
- Spoon evenly into the lined muffin cups. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven, place on wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. When cool enough to handle, remove the muffins from the pan. Eat while still warm, with or without butter.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. To rewarm, split and pop under the broiler until golden. Microwaves will make them soggy.
- Heat oven to 400°F, using the convection setting if you have that option. Line two heavy, rimmed baking pans with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Place oven racks in upper and lower third of the oven.
- Separate bacon strips and place in a single layer on the pans. They can touch but shouldn’t overlap. Sprinkle each pan with half the sugar. Give each pan a generous grinding of black pepper, if using. Gently pat the sugar onto the bacon so it’s evenly spread.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the bacon is crisp. The sugar will melt and spread, so you don’t have to turn the bacon over during the process. However, if you don’t have a convection oven, you will want to rotate the pans half way through the cooking to ensure even baking. The bacon is done when the sugar is melted and bubbly and the bacon looks dark brown but not burned.
- Remove the pans from the oven. Transfer individual slices to a wire baking rack set over paper towels to absorb any drips. When the bacon cools the sugar will harden to a thin, hard-candy coating. Eat, use immediately, or store in the refrigerator in a resealable bag between layers of parchment.
- Tip
- Fill the muffin cups using a ¼-cup cookie scoop. Being the same size, they will cook evenly. Plus, they’ll have a lovely rounded top
- Make a bunch of this ahead of time and keep on hand for when the urge to make Piglets strikes.
Mardi from eat. live. travel. write made blueberry cheesecake macarons
Julie from Dinner with Julie made Meyer Lemon Scones with Lemon Drizzle & Lemon Curd
Heather from The Tasty Gardener made Cream Puffs with Caramel Cream and Chocolate Pretzel Top
Isabelle from Crumb: A Food Blog made Blackberry Meringue Bars
Jennifer from Seasons and Suppers made Baby Blueberry Beignets
Christina from Strawberries For Supper made Chocolate Madeleines
Aimée from Simple Bites made Roasted Turnip Hummus
Jenny from The Brunette Baker made Wild Blueberry Buttermilk Muffins
Liliana from My Cookbook Addiction made mini-cupcakes
Carole from The Yum Yum Factor made Beet and Blue Cheese Canapes
Amy from Family Feedbag made Marmalade Cake
Brittany from My Daily Randomness made Caramel + Pumpkin Parfait
Meg from Sweet Twist of Blogging made Carrot Apple Loaf
Louisa from Living Lou made Maple Walnut Cookies
Libby from Libby Roach Photography made Butter Baked Good’s Peanut Butter Sandwich cookie
Robyn from Planet Byn made Milk & Cookies Shooters
Congratulations, Jan! We couldn’t be happier for you!
Mardi (eat. live. travel. write.)
Posted at 10:41h, 16 FebruaryThese are great – and I still need to make them! Perhaps when you come to cook with the boys again next term?!
Charmian Christie
Posted at 10:43h, 16 FebruaryThat’s doable! I bet the boys would go crazy for the candied bacon. Thanks again for organizing this virtual shower.
Robyn
Posted at 10:43h, 16 FebruaryOh man, I’ve had a post it on these since I got your book! Can’t wait to make them!
Charmian Christie
Posted at 11:30h, 16 FebruaryHope you like them! They’re a hit in our house. Could be the bacon
Roasted Turnip Hummus Recipe | Simple Bites
Posted at 11:03h, 16 February[…] Charmian from The Messy Baker made Piglet Muffins […]
Libby
Posted at 11:14h, 16 FebruaryBeauty move! Your hubby’s idea of
bacon would be a welcome addition to just about anything!
Charmian Christie
Posted at 11:19h, 16 FebruaryHe’s a keeper. That’s for sure.
Amy @ Family Feedbag
Posted at 13:08h, 16 FebruaryA recent study shows 86% of men over age 25 suffer from chronic ‘Bacon on the Brain.’ Another study shows 100% of hungry women find this classically sexy.
Charmian Christie
Posted at 13:59h, 18 FebruaryHilarious stats. Made me laugh. Thanks for supporting my husband’s decision with such solid research. Bacon on!
Jan @ Family Bites
Posted at 19:42h, 16 FebruaryI happen to know of two teen boys, one dad and one very pregnant mama who would absolutely devour these muffins in a second. In fact, I’m going to make them for the lunchbox this week because I know they will be an instant hit. Thank you so much for taking the time to “bring” something to shower – I’m so thrilled that you were a part of it! xo
Charmian Christie
Posted at 14:01h, 18 FebruaryGlad this appeals to you — and your teenaged boys, and your husband — and for the chance to take part in your virtual shower. Hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!
Isabelle @ Crumb
Posted at 23:09h, 16 FebruaryI’ve always said that bacon makes everything better, and these muffins totally prove my point.
These just made it to the top of my must-bake list… I don’t make savoury muffins nearly often enough, and the combo of bacon and smoked cheese sounds right up my alley.
Charmian Christie
Posted at 14:02h, 18 FebruaryI don’t think anyone makes savoury muffins often enough. Is that even possible? Glad to give you the nudge you need to get bakin’ with bacon!
Meyer Lemon Scones with Lemon Drizzle + Lemon Curd - Dinner With Julie Dinner With Julie Meyer Lemon Scones with Lemon Drizzle + Lemon Curd - Dinner With Julie
Posted at 23:27h, 16 February[…] Carole from The Yum Yum Factor made Beet and Blue Cheese Canapes Charmian from The Messy Baker made Piglet Muffins Amy from Family Feedbag made Marmalade Poke Cake Brittany from My Daily Randomness made a Caramel + […]
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
Posted at 19:16h, 17 FebruaryYou can never, ever go wrong with bacon! And so nice to have a (virtual) savoury item at our virtual baby shower
Charmian Christie
Posted at 14:04h, 18 FebruaryBacon does seem to be a hit with this crowd. I did sneak a bit of sweet into this savory by caramelizing the bacon.
Chocolate Madeleines - Strawberries For Supper
Posted at 12:35h, 18 February[…] Carole from The Yum Yum Factor made Beet and Blue Cheese Canapes Charmian from The Messy Baker made Piglet Muffins Amy from Family Feedbag made Marmalade Poke Cake Brittany from My Daily Randomness made Caramel + […]
Liliana
Posted at 13:09h, 25 MarchI usually don’t make savoury muffins, but there is a sticky note on this recipe in your book. They look amazing!
Charmian Christie
Posted at 10:13h, 26 MarchThey are tasty, if I do say so myself. If you do try them, I’d love to hear what you think.
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Posted at 23:51h, 20 July[…] Charmian from The Messy Baker made Piglet Muffins […]
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Posted at 14:42h, 02 October[…] Carole from The Yum Yum Factor made Beet and Blue Cheese Canapes Charmian from The Messy Baker made Piglet Muffins Amy from Family Feedbag made Marmalade Poke Cake Brittany from My Daily Randomness made a Caramel + […]
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Posted at 11:31h, 09 February[…] Charmian from The Messy Baker made Piglet Muffins […]