Bacon & Egg in a Toast Cup

While some might rejoice over the plethora of breakfast foods out there, I've always struggled to get excited for this first meal of the day. Maybe it's because my go-to choice, an everything bagel with cream cheese, isn't very healthy.

So, I decided I've got to figure out a way to enjoy breakfast - and this feeling came on especially strong the other day as my husband and I planned to celebrate our first Christmas together. It had to be special and it had to start off on the right foot!

I asked myself, what kind of food do I love most? The answer came immediately - I love cupcakes.

Next, I asked, how do I make breakfast more like cupcakes? Muffins you might say, with a roll of your eyes.

But no. I chose to go with a bacon egg toast cupcake.

If you've never checked out Andrea Correale's mac n cheese bites, do so. They inspired this recipe. Don't ask why mac and cheese popped into my head at 8AM on Christmas Eve Eve. They just did.

In an effort to give our day that Christmas feel I took the opportunity to start getting excited for breakfast. So, I made these. And I must say, they really did the trick!

Give them a try - promise they'll start any ordinary day out on an extraordinary foot! They're just so lovely they'll make you celebrate the every day with a good meal.

Ingredients

4 large eggs (extra large are too big)
2 pieces bacon
2 tablespoons fresh chopped chives
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
Parmesan cheese, to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and spray a cupcake pan with some butter - or whatever you prefer.

Get a skillet on the stove top and cook up your bacon to your liking.

While that cooks, cut or peel off the crust from your bread. I've now made this recipe twice - once with rye, once with whole wheat. I prefer the whole wheat for it's grainy taste as well as for it's size. Use whatever you like!

Once your crusts are cut, flatten your bread. I used my hands but a rolling pin will do the job, too. Place the bread in your buttered cupcake pan - mold it to the shape of the pan so that it turns into a cup.

Sprinkle a bit of pepper, salt and parmesan on the bottom. Then, crack an egg and plop it on in. To get the yolk look on top you'll have to put the whites in first, then the yolk on top of them.

At this point make sure your bacon isn't burning.

Top your eggs with some chopped chives, more salt and pepper and another sprinkle of parmesan. Pop into the oven for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Hubby and I like our eggs a bit runny, so I remove the pan from the oven as soon as the whites don't jiggle when I tap the pan.

When cooked and out of the oven, I immediately remove the egg cups from the pan and plate.

Finally, top with your bacon - I like to crumble it - and a bit more chive.

Serve and enjoy!

Serves

Makes 4 Bacon Egg Toast Cupcakes

Prep Time

5 minutes

Cook Time

15 minutes