For Muffins: 8 strips bacon Nonstick cooking spray 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup cornmeal 3/4 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons baking powder 2 tablespoons brown sugar 3/4 cup milk 1 egg 3 tablespoons butter, melted 1 tablespoon reserved bacon fat
For Frosting: 8 ounces cream cheese, softened 2 tablespoons honey 1 tablespoon hot sauce 1 bunch chives, sliced
Special Equipment: 2 (24-count) nonstick mini muffin tins Pastry Bag
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Place bacon onto a baking sheet and bake until crisp about 12 minutes. Remove from baking sheet and place onto a plate lined with a paper towel. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat. Once bacon is cool enough to handle, chop into small pieces.
Spray a 24-count mini-muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder, and brown sugar. In a separate bowl, whisk the milk and egg. Whisk the milk mixture, melted butter and bacon fat into the dry ingredients. Add 3/4ths of the chopped cooked bacon, reserve remaining 1/4th for a garnish.
Fill each muffin cup with 1 tablespoon of the batter so the cups are filled about 3/4th of the way up. Bake in oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the muffins comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before icing.
While muffins are cooling, in a medium bowl beat the cream cheese, hone,y and hot sauce with a hand mixer until soft and combined. Add 3/4th of the sliced chives, reserve remaining 1/4th for a garnish. Mix until well combined.
Transfer mixture to a pastry bag and snip off the end.
Once the muffins have cooled, pipe a small amount of the cream-cheese mixture on top of each one. Garnish with remaining crumbled bacon and remaining chopped chives.
Yield: 24 muffins Prep Time: 35 minutes Cook Time: 22 minutes Ease of preparation: intermediate
Brian Boitano is an Olympic champion figure skater and the host of the new Food Network show, What Would Brian Boitano Make?
