Muffin tops were a big thing on Seinfeld, and understandably so: They’re crunchy yet soft, and the best part of the muffin. They’re also the ideal item to dunk in bisque.

What to buy: Muffin top pans can be found at specialty kitchen stores, but if you can’t get your hands on one, a regular 12-well muffin pan will work, too (baking times remain the same).

This recipe was featured as part of our Festivus menu.

  • Yield: 12 muffin tops
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Total: 35 mins 
  • Active: 10 mins 

Ingredients (11)

  • 6 ounces bacon, cooked, crumbled, drippings reserved (1/2 cup crumbled)
  • 1 cup fine stone-ground yellow cornmeal
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (3/4 stick), melted and slightly cooled
  • 1 cup low-fat buttermilk, well shaken
  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 400°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Coat the wells of 2 6-well muffin top pans or 1 standard 12-well muffin pan with bacon drippings (or vegetable oil); set aside.
  2. Combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl and whisk to aerate and break up any lumps.
  3. In a medium bowl, combine butter, buttermilk, eggs, and thyme and whisk until incorporated and smooth.
  4. Add wet ingredients to dry, stirring just until incorporated, about 1 minute. Divide batter evenly (about 1/3 cup) among the wells, and sprinkle about 1 heaping teaspoon of bacon over each muffin top.
  5. Bake muffin tops until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let sit in the pans 5 minutes before removing.