Warning: These little things are highly addictive. I’m mean, really really addictive. You get some crispy bacon and smokey chipotle aioli all inside a perfectly juicy grape tomato. Oh ya, and there’s even a little piece of arugula just to make the whole thing look extra pretty.
Set these out at a party and these mini BLT cups are going to fly off the plate. Trust me, I’ve seen it happen with my own eyes.
Grape tomatoes are perfect for this recipe but cherry tomatoes will work too. I use baby arugula for the lettuce but have also used baby spinach in a pinch. Whatever kind of lettuce you use just make sure it’s small.
To make your life a lot more simple (and who doesn’t love that?) I suggest that you put the aioli in a pastry bag fitted with a smallish tip and then pipe the aioli into the tomatoes.
Making your own aioli is super simple, and a lot more delicious than store bought mayo. I’ve given instructions on how to make aioli but you can always substitute store bought instead; just make sure you don’t use Miracle Whip for this recipe as the flavour won’t be right.
- For the BLT cups:
- 24 grape tomatoes
- 24 small pieces of lettuce, such as arugula or baby spinach
- ¼ cup crumbled crisp cooked bacon (about 3 pieces)
- 24 small pieces of bacon for garnish (about 2 pieces)
- For the chipotle aioli:
- 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ cup grape seed or other neutral flavoured oil (not olive!)
- 1-2 teaspoons of chipotles in adobo sauce
- ½ teaspoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon miso
- ¾ teaspoon sugar
- 3-4 drops of liquid smoke
- Salt to taste
- To make the aioli:
- In a medium bowl whisk together the room temperature egg yolk with the lemon juice and Dijon mustard. Slowly add the oil in a very small stream whisking constantly. If the oil starts to build up and not become incorporated, stop pouring and whisk the aioli aggressively. Continue whisking and pouring the oil in slowly until it is completely incorporated.
- Combine all other ingredients in a small blender; I like to use the magic bullet for this. Add the aioli and blend until completely mixed and there are no visible chipotle seeds left. Salt to taste
- If you are using store bought mayo, DO NOT put it in the blender as it will turn runny. Simply blend the chipotles, soy, miso and sugar together as best you can and then mix it into the mayo. It will not be as smooth but it will still be tasty.
- To assemble to BLT cups:
- Cut the bottoms of the tomatoes off (they will stand on their tops.) Gently squeeze and roll the tomatoes between your fingers to remove the pulp. (Can be made up to 1 day ahead)
- Stuff 1 piece of arugula (or other lettuce) into each tomato cup. Then place ½ teaspoon of bacon (you don’t need to be exact here!) into each. Top with a squeeze of chipotle aioli and a piece of bacon for garnish.
If you are using store bought mayo use a half a cup and add these ingredients to it:
chipotles in adobo sauce, soy sauce, miso, sugar, liquid smoke and salt.
Want some more delicious bite sized appetizers? Check these out:
Mini Steak Salad Lettuce Wraps
Smoked Salmon Mousse on Filo Crackers
Mini Beet and Goat Cheese Salads on a Crispy Beet Chip
Chickpea and Pumpkin Fritters with Preserved Lemon Aioli
Bacon Deviled Eggs with Cheddar and Caramelized Onions
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
These look simply delightful! Will prepare them this weekend for my husband’s birthday.
Side note: when you try to print this recipe, it instead redirects to you the Minuteman Press website and map directions and doesn’t let you print the recipe-a tad annoying. I have printed many of your recipes btw
I love your recipes and your photography is awesome! I am also an Okanagan girl, & would love to promote our area more.
Omg, omg, omg. I want these now!!
Hope you’re doing great, Kristen!
Genius and I thought that those little olive penguins that I made rocked. Don’t doubt that they will fly off the plate – cannot wait to make!! Thanks!
Thanks, Jill!!
I could stare at this the whole day…… This is a must try. love your blog!
Thank you so much, Immaculate!!
Could you use basil rather than regular lettuce, do you think?
I would definitely try it. Basil does have a strong flavour but it could be quite delicious
“Stuff 1 piece of arugula (or other lettuce) into each tomato cup. Then place ½ teaspoon (you don’t need to be exact here!) into each.” 1/2 teaspoon of WHAT? Is it the Bacon? Can’t wait to try. Thanks a lot.
Yes, bacon! Clearly I was focusing too much on eating bacon and not enough on writing the recipe
If followed the directions minus the miso, I couldn’t find any, and the aioli was super runny, any suggestions?
Hi Amy,
When you were making the aioli was it runny right from the beginning?
Here are a few tricks to make sure the egg and oil emulsify:
1. Make sure your eggs are at room temperature. Cold eggs will not emulsify.
2. Add the lemon juice and mustard first and whisk well.
3. Slowly (very slowly at first) add the oil. Pour in the tiniest drizzle and whisk well. Continue to do the same until it starts to thicken. Once it thickens you can start to pour in the oil a little faster.
If the aioli doesn’t seem to come together I have started a new batch (egg yolk/lemon juice/ mustard) and then used the runny aioli as the oil. This has worked for me in the past.
Also, once you add all the ingredients to give the aioli the chipotle flavour it will become a lot thinner. It will be more like a dipping sauce.
Hope this helps!
I was so excited to be making these little gems. It took me ages to whisk in the oil & it turned out lovely and thick….BUT….as soon as I blended it with the mixture of other ingredients, it turned runny! : (
I know you said that would happen if you used bought mayo but why did it happen to me???
I am sooo upset as the whole process took me forever!
Hi Toni,
Oh no, that is not supposed to happen! I know it can be super frustrating when you spend time and are excited to cook something and it doesn’t work out quite as planned.
The aioli definitely thins out a fair bit after you add the rest of the ingredients. It is quite bit of liquid and unfortunately I haven’t found a way to keep it thick as the the aioli is on its own. When I make it it ends up being more of the consistency of a dipping sauce. Is this what yours looked like? Or was it really thin?
It was REALLY thin!
Hi Toni,
It is definitely not supposed to turn out really thin! I’m not sure what happened since I have made this recipe many times and never had that problem. I’m wondering if it had something to do with the blender you used. Maybe? I have heard of people having trouble with their aioli if their blender is quite high powered (i.e.: better than mine!) I use a magic bullet to blend the ingredients. Did it get thinner as you blended it longer?
Maybe next time try blending the rest of the ingredients together and then whisk them into the aioli.
How cute!! Yum!
You can keep the chipotle. I’ll try it with some light ranch dressing. I don’t mean to offend any one. I just don’t like chipotle.
I’m a little confused help!!! I’m getting ready to make this yummy treat got all the ingredients and as I read the instructions it calls for mayo yet I don’t see mayo in the ingredients section. Super confused
Hi Stacey,
I just re-read that and it is a bit confusing. I will have to change that!
I’ve given the instructions on how to make your own mayo but you can definitely use store bought. Just don’t use Miracle Whip as it won’t taste right. Just add these ingredients to about a half cup of store bought mayo:
1-2 teaspoons of chipotles in adobo sauce
½ teaspoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon miso
¾ teaspoon sugar
3-4 drops of liquid smoke
Salt to taste
Sorry for the confusion! Let me know if you have any other questions
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