Bacon and Gruyère Muffins

Maybe it's time for something a little different. Savory. Unexpected. Something with bacon.
These have the craggy look of a biscuit, but the tender crumb of a muffin. Gorgeous pockets of melted nutty Gruyère cheese and yummy big bits of smoky, salty bacon make an elegant but very satisfying breakfast package. Serve 'em with eggs, fruit and cocoa. Or grab one for a breakfast-on-the-go. Whatever you choose, these are just the thing. Everything's better with bacon.
Bacon and Gruyère Muffins (print recipe)
8 thin slices smoked bacon
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 T sugar
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg
4 T unsalted butter, melted*
1 cup milk
2 T sour cream or plain yogurt
3/4 cup finely diced Gruyère or Swiss cheese (about 3 to 4 ounces)

1. Preheat oven to 400. Grease 11 standard muffin cups with butter, spray or paper liners. In a frying pan over medium-high heat, cook the bacon slices until crisp, 6-8 minutes, turning as needed. Using tongs, transfer to paper towels to drain. Let bacon cool, then crumble. Set aside.

2. In a bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

3. In another bowl, whisk together the egg, melted butter, milk and sour cream until blended. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and stir just until evenly moistened. The batter will be slightly lumpy. Using a large rubber spatula, fold in the bacon and cheese just until evenly distributed, no more than a few strokes. Do not overmix.

4. Spoon the batter into each muffin cup, filling it level with the rim of the cup. Bake until golden, dry and springy to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Unmold the muffins. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 11 muffins

*For added bacon flavor, hello, replace 2 T of the melted butter with 2 T of the bacon fat.

Recipe from Williams-Sonoma Muffins