Sweet meets savoury in this tasty treat
By Sophie Isbister, Life & Style Editor
Nothing says “I am going to totally crush these midterms” like a great-tasting study snack loaded with carbohydrates. These robust muffins are sweet like a muffin should be—but with a salty and chewy bacon twist! The dense and moist texture comes from the beer, which gives these muffins an almost scone-like feel and a delicious yeasty flavour.
I made these muffins for myself, but they were enjoyed by many: my roommate, my bestie, and a bunch of my guy friends who were doing a Golden Mile pub crawl. These muffins are a definite crowd-pleaser. The beer is a weird touch, but it adds a unique taste.
You can use any kind of beer: the recipe I adapted suggested an organic lager, but I happened to have a large bottle of Driftwood Brewery’s Farmhand Ale just sitting around. Farmhand is a saison, which is a slightly peppery Belgian farmhouse ale that I thought would pair well with the muffin’s savoury ingredients. Hindsight being 20/20, I think I would add some fresh rosemary. But there’s always next time!
To make these muffins, first prepare by frying up the bacon until it’s nice and crispy. Remove it from the pan and chop it into bits. Save the bacon grease and set it aside. Prepare all your other ingredients, and grease a muffin pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and grated cheddar cheese. Then combine the wet ingredients in another bowl: the egg (slightly beaten), the melted butter, the beer, and the bacon grease. Pour the wet over the dry, mix until just combined, and then gently fold in the bacon bits.
Divide the dough (it will be quite sticky) into the muffins pan, and place in the oven for 15 minutes. Then brush the tops of the muffins with the leftover bacon grease, and bake for a couple more minutes. Cool and enjoy!
Prep time: 25 minutes
Bake time: 18 minutes
8 strips of bacon
2 tbsp bacon grease
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 egg
2 tbsp melted butter (or oil)
1 cup beer
