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bacon cups

I had an occasion calling for bacon themed food and my mind immediately turned towards the famed bacon mat. I needed something a little more single-serving though, so I decided to attempt bacon cups. In the bacon mat instructions there is mention of draping the mat over an overturned metal bowl and cooking it so that it would turn out in as a bowl shape. I decided to try using the backs of various muffin and mini cake pans, I ran out of bacon before I got to try as many as I would have liked so I’ll have to try more at a later date. Any excuse for more bacon.

I set the oven at 400 degrees and carefully formed foil over the back of the muffin pan. I did not coat with cooking spray, it would have been easier to remove but I suspect that the bacon would not have held the form as well if the foil was oiled and would have popped apart half way through cooking. On the other hand some bacon did break when I was peeling away the foil. I cooked the bacon, moving the pans around, until it was crisp looking and waited for it to cool before removing the foil and shaped bacon.

This all took three hours and my house filled with smoke, but it was worth it. Be sure to put a cookie sheet with a rim below the cooking bacon in the oven, there was a lot of dripping fat and I saw a few flames. Watch your oven carefully!

For cup shapes I used the back of this Wilton King-Size Muffin Pan. These are the width of jumbo muffins but are almost twice as tall (see this cupcake for a visual).

For the first try I used two layers of bacon on the sides and wove it like a basket, or at least like I imagine a basket would be woven:

I turned out to not be enough after the bacon cooked and shrank:

It held its structure very well though:

The next time I used three layers of bacon on the sides, this worked out better:

For as floppy as the bacon is when trying to weave it, it keeps its shape really well once cooked to the point that it is crisp.

I also tried to make small round bowls using the back of a Betty Crocker mini filled cake pan.

It shrank up quite a lot, leaving more of a shallow rounded shape:

Going for a breadless BLT I filled the cups with lettuce (the arugula was the best) and sliced cherry tomato. After some serious investigation it was determined that the shallow bowls were the easiest to eat as finger food, while the cups were dramatic.

I had hoped to make a mayo-based salad dressing to really fill out my the BLT theme but I completely ran out of time. Overall, a success!

· comments [580] · 02-27-2008 · categories:food ·

580 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Nana Parker // May 12, 2013 at 6:22 pm

    I have a pan that is a mini-bundt cake pan. Each cake would be a little larger than a cup cake, might be like the giant cupcake. I will have to try this. A BLT with no bread. (a “little” better on the diet)!

  • 2 Tana // May 13, 2013 at 9:51 am

    Use taco shell forms to make bigger bacon bowls.

  • 3 Wendie Jeanne Deacon // May 13, 2013 at 5:34 pm

    Wow- I also learned, courtesy of the Hallmark Channel, how to make beautiful bowls with shredded swiss and or parm shredded cheese that look lacy and pretty as edible bowls- no I will let my imagination run wild incorporating the bacon themed bowls with the cheese bowls!!!! Awesome job!!!!!

  • 4 Joey // May 14, 2013 at 5:25 pm

    Try using parchment paper!

  • 5 Toni Ellsworth // May 16, 2013 at 8:25 pm

    OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH YUM!!! Can’t wait to try this. Will be great for a spinach salad! Perfect for a luncheon! The possibilities are endless!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

  • 6 Bill // May 21, 2013 at 2:53 pm

    You mean to tell me there is no Nobel Prize for bacon?

  • 7 Freddy Panes // May 26, 2013 at 7:44 pm

    hi there we were ro impressed with this amazaing use of bacon we reblogged it to our blogsite with a link back to you. thanks very much. sherry is impressed with this one and our youngest son who loves bacon!

  • 8 Freddy Panes // May 26, 2013 at 7:47 pm

    BTW, sherry’s blogsite is http://www/makeeastsimple.wordpress.com we are constantly looking for great articles to reblog and further expand and share the uniqueness of every recipe, gardening tips and lifestyle.

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  • 14 Dawn Gross // Sep 22, 2013 at 12:09 pm

    Love Your idea. And I suggest hashbowns with either scrambled eggs or poached egg on top of that perhaps with a slice of tomato also. Oh and don’t forget the jalapenos as well!!!!!! OMG this is endless!!!!

  • 15 Brin // Sep 29, 2013 at 8:54 am

    SO CREATIVE !!!! I love bacon. lol Just one tiny suggestion….one might want to have a nice generous BLT before making this recipe. I think even I would be tempted to ‘taste’ a few bowls just to see if they ‘turned out right’. LOL as one poster said “it’s limitless” to what one can fill the bacon bowls with. Thank you for sharing. YUMMMM :)

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    The only thing I can think of better than a bacon bowl, is a bacon bowl filled with bacon. You have created a true piece of art.

  • 20 Char Wilson // Jan 6, 2014 at 4:30 pm

    I think Reynolds Wrap nonstick aluminum foil over the exterior of the muffin tin would solve your problem of the bacon sticking when making the bacon cups.

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  • 29 Melissa // Jul 11, 2014 at 11:42 am

    I used a silicone individual muffin cup. upside down on paper towel, and microwaved for 4 min. Great way to make just one at a time. Yum

  • 30 Nicole // Apr 30, 2015 at 12:18 pm

    How far in advance can you make these? Could I make them the night before my graduation party?

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