Tasty Breakfast Cups

I love to cook. I mean, I really love to cook. I love trying new recipe ideas from the internet, but sometimes all you can find is a picture with no recipe. Such is the case with these bad boys. I saw multiple pictures on the 'net, but I couldn't track down any sort of recipe, how-to, step-by-step, or anything else that would at make a good starting point. But that was three years ago. In that three years, I've had time to experiment. And in that three years, I've since found some other versions of this recipe. So, here's my version of the Tasty Breakfast Cup. It does take more time, but it's also the best version.

There's a few different ways to do this. I'll go over the basic version, but I'll also point out some nice modifications along the way. Make whatever version you think sounds the best. Also, there's a pretty good amount of prep work involved in these. So, unless you plan on getting up at three in the morning, make these beforehand if you want them for breakfast!

Lastly, I need to apologize ahead of time for the poor quality of the pictures. I think they were taken using my old Galaxy S2. Some of the pictures are okay, but some of them are grainy.

Okay, let's do this...

Tools:

Two large bowls (at least two quarts capacity)

Liquid Measuring Cup

Whisk (or a fork, if you don't have a whisk)

Grater

Cutting Board/Sheet

Utility Knife

Muffin Tin (normal sized)

Baking Cups

Broiling Pan (with rack)

Ingredients:

6 eggs

3/4 cup of milk

16 slices of bacon (should be one pound)

8 ounces of shredded cheese

Salt and Pepper

Shredded Hash Brown Potatoes (optional)

Lightly Toasted Bread (optional)

The outside and bottom of the cups are going to be made from bacon. Start by preheating the oven to 250º. Take the slices of bacon and put them on the broiling rack. Leave enough room between the slices so that the grease will drip thru the rack. Bake the bacon for 30 minutes, turning it about halfway thru. You want the bacon to be cooked, but you will need it to still be pliable. Also, try to remove as much of the grease as you can. I'd recommend blotting the grease off with a napkin or paper towel. It may seem time consuming, but the difference is well worth the effort.

While we have a bit of time to kill, let's prep the rest of our ingredients.

Unless you've purchased shredded cheese, now would be the time to start shredding your cheese. Shred the whole block into one of the bowls.

Crack the eggs and put them into the other bowl. Add the milk, then whisk it together. You can add your salt and/or pepper at this point. Just remember to give it a good stir later because the pepper will settle out.

If you wanted to use the hash browns or toasted bread in the bottom of the cups, we can prep that now.

If you want to use toasted bread, you'll need about three pieces. Toast the bread, then cut it into quarters. If you really want to, you can use a biscuit cutter to make rounds that will fit more perfectly.

If you wanted to use the hash browns, tater tots, or latkes, you can get your baking sheet out and put those on now. When the bacon comes out, simply adjust your heat, put your potatoes in, and start your timer. In my house, we like to use latkes from the grocery store. We put three in the bottom of each cup. If you do add potatoes, you will need to reduce the recipe to four eggs and 1/2 cup of milk. Trust me on this one! It will be very messy if you use the full recipe.

Preheat your oven to 350º. If your oven is still hot from earlier, simply adjust your heat to the correct temperature.

Take four of your slices of bacon and cut them into thirds.

Take the remaining slices of bacon and cut them in half.

Take your muffin tin and baking cups out. I used the silicone version for the pictures, but I have since switched to the paper/foil versions. Take two halves of bacon, and put one on each side of the cups. Then, take a third of bacon and lay that on the bottom, with the corners against the other slices. If you want to use hash browns or toasted bread, this is the time that you would put it into the bottom of the cups (on top of the bacon).

Take your eggs and milk and begin spooning it into the cups. I usually use a 1/4 measuring cup, but I don't fill it to the top. Pour the egg mixture into the cups, stopping at 1/4" from the top edge of the cup. You will want the room for the eggs/milk to expand.

Put your egg cups into the oven and bake them for about ten minutes. After ten minutes, take them out. They should be partially cooked. If they're still slightly runny on top, then that's just what we're looking for.

I've honestly never stopped to measure this part, so I apologize for the lack of accurate measures here. Take out your cheese and put a generous portion on top. See the pictures for better reference.

Return the cups to the oven and bake for five more minutes.

Take the cups out of the oven and let them cool for a few minutes.

If you're making these ahead of time, I'd recommend leaving them in the baking cups. (That's why I use the paper baking cups)

Otherwise, wait until they are cool enough to handle. Then remove the baking cups and serve them!

Don't let their apparent small size fool you. These things are filling!

Also, I have made several versions of these. I can tell you that these things can get very greasy, depending on how you cook them. This is important to keep in mind if you decide to experiment with other ingredients. I can tell you that the ones I made with breakfast sausage sounded good on paper...