Will I ever stop showing you recipes with “maple bacon” in the title?
Let’s be honest – probably not. The combination is just too good, people.
So let’s deal with the 500 pound bacon elephant in the room – bacon has not exactly had the best week, huh? To be honest, I’m not too perturbed by all of the processed-meat-craziness right now. My theory on bacon (and anything else decadent and delicious) remains the same: if you’re eating a pound of bacon for breakfast every day, you’re doing something wrong. If you’re using it sparingly to flavor your adorable little French toast cups, you’re doing something very, very right.
These little guys showcase exactly why I love bacon. You just need a little bit to lend massive savory, smoky, meaty flavor that tempers dishes that tend to be overly sweet (like, uh, streusel-topped French toast) in a way that just makes me melt every time. These maple bacon French toast cups are so. Freakin’. Good. We make mini French toast casseroles with the best French toast bread of all time (that would be challah, in my humble opinion), give it a gorgeous creamy batter-bath, and top with a decadent brown sugar crumble and little hunks o’ bacon love. Drizzle the little guys with real maple syrup and be prepared to fall in love real hard.
I absolutely love these maple bacon French toast cups – they’re sweet, savory, insanely moist in the middle and crunchy on the top. Your next lazy Saturday needs these!!
- ½ loaf challah bread, torn into pieces
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- ¼ cup half and half
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tbsp. vanilla
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 6 tbsp. refrigerator-cold butter, cut into small cubes
- ¼ cup + 2 tbsp. flour
- ¼ cup + 2 tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 tbsp. cinnamon
- Real maple syrup, for topping
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Butter each muffin cup in a 12-cup muffin tin VERY well and fill each with the challah pieces. Top each cup with a few bacon crumbles.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Pour a few tbsp. over the bread in each cup, until they are all evenly covered.
- To make the streusel, combine the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter with your hands until the whole thing is crumbly and well-combined. Top each cup with a spoonful of crumble.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, until the tops are golden browned. Top with maple syrup (an absolute must) and enjoy warm!
- Make sure to really butter your cups well - I was a little lazy about it and spent way too long scrubbing off stuck-on bread. Don't make the same mistake!
Looking for more sweet and savory bacon breakfast treats?
