Gourmet McDonald's McMuffin-Inspired Breakfast Sandwich Recipe

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When the McDonald's Egg McMuffin was first introduced half a century or so ago, it was meant as a cheaper and more portable version of a more deluxe dish: everyone's brunchtime favorite, eggs Benedict. Nowadays, of course, we associate the egg McMuffin with being a fast-food convenience through-and-through, but recipe developer Patterson Watkins' upscale McMuffin takes the dish back to its fancier roots. As she tells us, "I wanted to keep the essence of the iconic McMuffin intact ... that eggy puck, bacon, cheese, and an English muffin, but with a gourmet twist." Among the more elevated touches she uses are peppered bacon and truffled cheese, as well as a herbed butter for slathering the muffin.

Gourmet though it may be, this breakfast sandwich is still perfect for meal prepping. The eggs, bacon, and butter can all be prepared ahead of time, as can the sandwiches themselves. These can then be refrigerated or frozen and reheated one at a time in the oven or microwave for a quick, yet fancy, breakfast on the go (and one that doesn't require the drive-thru).

The sandwich consists of peppered bacon, baked eggs, onion chutney, and truffled cheese atop an English muffin. In addition to these ingredients, you'll also need butter, garlic, and chives.

Preheat the oven to 425 F.

Lay bacon strips out evenly on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until the bacon is crisp.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain (leave any residual bacon drippings on the baking sheet).

Place 4 egg ring molds on the baking sheet.

Crack 2 eggs into each mold.

Break the yolks with a toothpick.

Carefully transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked through.

Meanwhile, place the softened butter, garlic, and chives in a small bowl. Stir to combine.

Place the split muffins, nooks and crannies-side up, on a separate parchment-lined baking sheet.

Spread the muffins with the garlic and herb butter. Place in the oven and toast for 5 to 8 minutes, or until golden around the edges.

Once the eggs have cooked, remove the baking sheet from the oven. Run a knife or thin metal spatula around the edge of the molds, loosen, and remove.

Once the muffins have toasted, remove from the oven. Divide the onion chutney between the muffins and spread out evenly.

Divide the slices of cheese between the bottom muffins.

Top the cheese with the egg patties.

Top the egg patties with cooked bacon.

Cap the sandwiches with the top muffin and return to the oven. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the other components (eggs and bacon) have reheated.

Serve the breakfast sandwiches right away.

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Just like McDonald's has come up with several variations on its original Egg McMuffin recipe, so, too, can you switch up this recipe. One way to do this is by varying the breakfast meat — you can use sausage patties, ham, or Canadian bacon instead of bacon. If you opt for the latter two, though, you may need to coat them in a little oil before cooking since they're not quite as fatty as bacon.

The cheese, too, can be changed up as per your preference. If you're not a truffle fan, you could use a soft cheese like brie or boursin or a semi-soft, melty onesuch as cheddar, gouda, or Swiss. You can also go with a different kind of compound butter, replacing chives with green onions or an entirely different type of herb, such as cilantro, dill, or rosemary. You might also want to add some hot sauce or chopped chiles to make your own version of McDonald's Spicy McMuffin, while you could also swap out the chutney for salsa.

If you don't have egg ring molds, there are various substitutes you can use, including cookie or biscuit cutters, tuna cans, or sliced bell peppers or onions. Even if you do have the proper ring molds, though, you might find that the eggs leak out the bottom. One way to combat this is to heat the pan first, then apply a little raw egg white to the inside of the ring molds. Put these in the oven for five seconds or so until the heat seals them to the pan, then fill them with the raw eggs and bake.

There's also the option to skip the egg molds entirely and opt for a completely different cooking method for the eggs. "You could scramble the eggs or make two-egg omelets and fold into neat little parcels (like McDonalds does for their breakfast biscuits)," Watkins suggests. Alternatively, she recommends, "You could beat the eggs and bake them in a casserole dish or baking sheet, cutting the baked eggs into rounds or squares."

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