Egg and toast cups

It's almost Easter and I'm taking the occasion to once again pay homage to eggs, my favorite ingredient to cook with!  So I'm holding back on those Cadbury mini eggs this year (I'm happily munching on them straight from the bag) and instead of posting something sweet - like a cake or cupcakes - I'm talking eggs in a savory way with these very simple little egg and toast cups.

What's cuter and more fun than an a little egg cup for breakfast or brunch!  It doesn't even have to be Easter.  I think these egg and toast cups are rustic, cute and casual, but a little bit special at the same time.  The whole thing is portable and edible; it's essentially your egg and toast in one!  

The cup is simply made with lightly-buttered bread (white bread in this case), which becomes the cup or nest for the egg to bake in.  It's really easy to make in your standard muffin tin and while the egg cups are baking in the oven for about 20 minutes, you can pull the rest of your meal together.

I've wanted to make eggs in hash brown nests for a long time but it always sounded a bit labor-intensive and messy.  When I saw this recipe from Martha Stewart for bacon, egg and toast cups, I had a feeling this was a simple route more suited for me.  I opted to leave the bacon out of the cups to keep it super simple. I think it's easier (and better) to serve the bacon or any other accompaniments you want on the side.

I don't think you need me to describe how these egg and toast cups taste but funny enough, the fellas insist they taste like deep-dish pizza!  After a good laugh, I realize that the lightly buttered toast makes for a browned, flaky, almost pie-like crust that does call that to mind!  And when you eat it alongside a slice or two of bacon, it can be reminiscent of the kind of deep-dish pizza they like to eat.  How funny is that!  

So whether you make these little egg-toast cups as part of your Easter brunch, have them with some bacon, ham, or just on its own for a quick breakfast, I highly recommend it.  I'm big on having some fun with our breakfasts!


You need three basic ingredients to make these cups: bread, melted butter, and eggs. 

To make 6 of these, you'll need 8 slices of bread in total.  The extra slices will be used to fill the bottoms of the tins to fully cover each entire muffin cup.  I used white sandwich bread.  Stack your slices and roll the bread out to flatten slightly.  Then take a 4 to 4 1/2 inch biscuit cutter and cut circles out of the bread slices (if you're like me and don't have a biscuit cutter that size, use a similar size bowl and cut out the round with a paring knife).  Now slice the bread rounds in half down the middle.  Press 2 halves into each lightly buttered muffin cup, round side up. Tear off a piece of bread from the extra slices and plug in the hole at the bottom of the muffin cup.  

I crack my eggs in a small bowl before pouring into each muffin cup.  This way I make sure the yolk stays intact.  A large egg should just fit in each muffin cup but you can hold back some of the egg white if you find you have a bit too much (another good reason to crack the egg into a bowl first).

I like to season the eggs with salt and pepper after baking so I leave them as is and put them in a 375 degree oven to bake.  I took them out in about 20 minutes, when the whites are just set, in the hopes of having a soft yolk.  It should take 20-25 minutes.

While the eggs are baking, I finish pulling together the rest of my meal.  I gently ease the egg cups right out of the muffin tin with a little offset spatula.  They slide right out and we're ready to serve.  I sprinkle them with a touch of salt and pepper and they are ready to go!

I really do love eggs and I'm happy that my entire family enjoys them.  When my son was a toddler, he had a mild egg allergy.  He could eat anything made with eggs without a problem, but whenever he ate eggs straight-up, he had a reaction. Luckily, he outgrew that sensitivity and I can say that he loves to have eggs for breakfast (or whenever) almost as much as his mother!  

Recipe:

Egg and Toast Cups
Adapted from Martha Stewart

- Makes 6 egg cups - 

2 tablespoons melted butter (either unsalted or salted)
8 slices white (or whole wheat) sandwich bread
6 large eggs
Coarse salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly butter 6 standard size muffin cups.  

Using a rolling pin, slightly flatten the bread slices and cut into rounds using a 4 to 4 1/2 inch biscuit cutter (if you don't have one, use a similar size bowl and cut out rounds using a paring knife).  Cut each round in half down the middle.  Press two halves into each muffin cup, round side up, overlapping slightly and making sure the bread comes to the edge of the cup.  Use the extra bread to patch up any gap in the bottom of the cup.  Repeat with all six cups, then lightly brush the bread with the remaining butter.

Crack an egg into each of the bread cups (I suggest cracking the eggs into a small bowl first before transferring into the cups; the cup should hold the entire egg but you can hold back some of the egg white if you find it necessary).  Season with salt and pepper, if desired (I like to do it after baking).  Bake for 20-25 minutes, until egg whites are just set.  

Run a small knife or offset spatula around the cups to release.  Serve immediately.