Cottage Cheese Muffins with Hickory-Smoked Bacon and Chives

These muffins were inspired by my exercise buddy, Amy, who was searching high and low for a particular cottage cheese muffin she had tried while traveling. She wanted a muffin that was light and fluffy, with the cottage cheese not only visible but present in flavor as well. After five batches, I came up with a working recipe, which was delicious, but still missing something. Once bacon and chives entered the equation, I had found the point of no return. Whenever people try these, their firs