Shrove Tuesday-Pancake Muffins with Maple Brown Butter & Candied Bacon!

When I decided to run a marathon in the fall everyone that I knew that had run one before warned me of the time commitment. They weren't joking. My life has become run, eat, sleep, repeat it seems. My eats have been pretty boring as well...lots of chicken salads, oatmeal for breakfast 6 days a week and lots and lots of protein shakes and vitamins.

The husband has for sure gotten tired of the repetitive meals, and freezer meals I have been cooking up so this week I decided its time to revive the blog and get myself back in the kitchen! I am a foodie after all and am running enough that I can burn all the calories!!!

Tomorrow is one of my favourite days...Pancake Tuesday!! An excuse to eat pancakes and bacon for dinner...or all day long! Of course we do eat breakfast for dinner at least once a week anyways but there is something  fun about everyone joining in! Unfortunately, I have a group run after work tomorrow that won't get me home until late...so I have a limited time that I am home to change and scarf something down and came up with this rather brilliant way of making pancakes to go...with ALL the fixings!!

Brown Butter & Maple Syrup Pancake Muffins with Candied Bacon!

Ingredients:

5 Strips of Bacon
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
3 Cups sifted unbleached all purpose flour
1 Tsp Baking Powder
2 1/2 Cups Milk
2 Large Eggs
1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
3 Tbsp Sugar
1 Tsp Salt
1/4 Cup Butter
Maple Syrup

First you need to make your candied bacon. Lay your bacon flat on a foil lined baking sheet. Rub brown sugar over the side facing up. Bake a 350F for about 20 Minutes or dark brown and crispy.

Perfectly cooked! Allow to cool on paper towels or a cookie rack.

Once cool roughly chop and set aside.

Next is the brown butter. Take your butter and allow to melt over medium heat...swishing around every couple of minutes

Brown butter needs to be watched. Keep on swishing it around...it will start to foam up.

And eventually turn a nice golden brown. Remove from the heat at this point and set aside.

Combine Flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, eggs, milk and oil in a mixing bowl with a whisk. Mix together until just combined and all large lumps have disappeared

Grab your muffin tins and with a brush, grease each muffin tin with the brown butter. Make sure to get all the sides and bottom.

ladle the pancake batter into the muffin tins (about 3/4 full). Bake at 425F for 10-12 minutes or until the outer edges turn a light brown.

Remove the cooked pancake muffins from the oven once cooked and immediately baste with maple syrup while still hot (I would pop them out of the tin first...ignore my poor picture showing otherwise)

While the maple syrup is still sticky, top with the crumbled bacon. Serve with more warm maple syrup for dipping!!!

Breakfast is ready!!