Best Bacon Cheddar Muffins

Breakfast-meat muffins for the savory crowd. Sharp aged cheddar gets stirred into the dry ingredients (which keeps it from sinking), crisp bacon folds in last, and a pinch of red pepper flakes adds gentle warmth without going hot.

The lumpy-batter rule is critical for muffins. Stir just until the wet ingredients moisten the dry, then stop. Overmixing develops gluten and you end up with tough, tunneled muffins instead of light and tender ones. The batter should look messy. That’s correct.

Folding the bacon in at the very end keeps it distributed evenly through the batter without breaking down. Stir it in earlier and the bacon crumbles smaller with every pass, costing you the satisfying salty bites.

Use very sharp aged cheddar. Mild cheddar disappears in the muffin. Sharp cheddar holds its bite even after baking. Two-year aged is a sweet spot.

Kitchen Tips

• Cook the bacon to a true crisp, not just browned. Soft bacon turns rubbery in the muffin. Crisp bacon stays bacon.
• Grease the muffin pan well, including the top surface. The batter rises above the cup tops and will stick if the top isn’t greased too.
• Fill cups to the top, not three-quarters full. Savory muffins don’t rise as dramatically as sweet ones.
• Eat warm. The cheese is gooey and the bacon stays crisp right out of the oven. Both lose their magic as the muffins cool.

Variations

• Swap cheddar for pepper jack and double the red pepper flakes for a spicier muffin.
• Stir in 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives or scallion greens for color and onion flavor.
• Substitute crumbled cooked sausage for the bacon for a heartier breakfast version.