Make Bacon Cups
Bacon has long been a favorite ingredient but recently, more innovative ways of using it have come to the forefront of bacon cuisine. And this recipe is one such innovative twist––instead of relying on tortilla or bread as shells for your food, make them out of bacon! Here is how to make bacon cups.
Contents
Ingredients
Bacon cups:
- 5 to 7 bacon strips per "cup"
- Your choice of food to fill each cup with. Suggestions include:
- Turkey, Swiss and sauteed mushrooms
- Lettuce and tomatoes
- Mushrooms sauteed with sun-dried tomatoes and pesto
- Eggs and cheddar
PB&J bacon cups:
- 5-7 strips bacon for each cup
- Peanut butter or almond butter
- Grapes (about 4 to 5 per cup)
Steps
Bacon cups
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF/200ºC.
- Turn a muffin pan upside down. To create the cups, you'll need to use the convex mounds of the base for molding. You need a muffin pan for large muffins.
- Lay foil over each of the muffin mounds, as many times as you need bacon cups. Cover and crimp the foil as you're laying it, so that it molds around the mound of each muffin space.
- Make the bacon cups. The secret to making sure that this works effectively is to weave the bacon slices into place––don't simply slap the bacon slices on. To weave into place:
- Make a plus sign, "+", or cross over the top of the first mound.
- Wrap the sides once, and at the same time, weave the top portion in and out.
- Lay the next slice on one side of the top slice.
- Repeat the side weaving with another bacon slice with the new top piece.
- Lay another slice on the other side on the top. This will then give you a fully-covered bottom cup.
- Repeat the side weaving with another bacon slice, using the third top piece.
- Bake the bacon for 10-15 minutes. You will need to monitor the bacon since the timings will differ on how crispy you want the cups to be.
- Carefully remove each cup from the foil. If the bacon sticks to the foil, carefully set the bottom of the bacon pieces in a large pan and move them around so that they loosen up. Wait until they are cooled down before removing them from the foil.
- Using the grease from the bacon during the pan cooking process makes it easier to separate it from the foil, rather than pre-greasing the pans prior to cooking. If you spray the pans beforehand, the cups may not hold their shape during the cooking process, thus risking more of a chance of the bacon moving around and shrinking.
- Fill each bacon cup with your choice of food. One idea is to make easy BLT filling for the cups.
PB&J bacon cups
- Follow the instructions to make the bacon cups as set out in the previous method.
- Slather peanut or almond butter on the bottom of each bacon cup. Be generous!
- Slice grapes. Make thin slices from the grapes, being careful of your fingers.
- Place the grape slices inside the bacon cups. Estimate around 4 to 5 grapes worth of slices per cup.
- Bake in the oven at 400ºF or 200ºC for 10 to 15 minutes. Follow the instructions in the previous method for baking and removal.
- Enjoy your PB&J masterpiece.
Video
Template:Video:Make Bacon Cups
Tips
- To trap grease, place the muffin pan in a baking sheet with a rim or in a casserole dish.
Warnings
- The pans will be extremely hot when you take them out of the oven. Use caution and good oven mitts.
Things You'll Need
- Regular muffin pan – ensure that the underside of the pan is properly cleaned before using
- Aluminum foil
Related Articles
- Make Candied Bacon
- Make Bacon Brittle
- Make Bacon Rolls
- Make Bacon Cupcakes
Sources and Citations
- Method 1 adapted from My Fridge Food, Bacon Cups, http://www.myfridgefood.com/viewrecipe.php?recipe=1579
