Easy Savory Muffins

Ingredients

• Cheese - I love to use white Cheddar cheese, Gouda, or Fontina because they have a strong flavor but are not too spicy. Any semi-hard cheese you like works well. White cheddar would be another great choice. Alternatively, you can use half mozzarella cheese (or other melty cheese) and the muffins will be softer, but make sure you compensate with enough seasoning, as mozzarella has less flavor.
• Milk: I use whole milk or low-fat, depending on what I have in the house. But you can use any type, even almond milk.
• Egg: large, fresh.
• Unsalted butter.
• Tomatoes - I like that they add freshness to the muffin. Make sure they are seeded to avoid excess moisture.
• Herbs - parsley goes really well with the rest of the ingredients, but basil and thyme work wonderfully also.
• Seasoning - salt and pepper of course, but you can also add a dash of spice with chili powder or smoked paprika.

Simple steps

• Muffins are very easy to make and these are made the old-fashioned way: a bowl with wet ingredients and a bowl with dry ingredients that are mixed together swiftly and lightly (images 1 and 2).
• The add-ins (cheese, tomatoes, and parsley) are added before the dry ingredients are completely incorporated. That way the batter is mixed as little as possible to ensure muffins that are as tender as possible (images 3 and 4).

Muffin pans

This recipe is for regular-sized muffins.

• Paper liners or cups: I use them because I find it easier and less messy since I don't have to butter the pan, and then wash it! But that means that the edges of the muffins will be soft and not develop a crust because they are in contact with the paper as they bake and not the buttered metal.
• Buttering the muffin tin: if you want crustier muffins - not only on top but also on the sides - omit paper cups and butter the individual rounds. Or use cooking spray.
• Yield: 12 muffins when you fill ¾ of the paper cup, and 10 muffins if you fill it almost to the top. The batter holds itself well so there's little chance of overflow even if you fill it more than three quarters, which is a standard way of avoiding spills.
  The image below is for half the recipe.

Storing - Freezing

I think muffins should be eaten freshly baked or a few hours later at the most.

That said, you can keep these savory ones at room temperature, wrapped, and eat them the next day. They will be chewier and less tender. Warming them in the oven is highly recommended.

Freezing: they freeze wonderfully, especially if you're going to warm them before eating. I like to put them in a container with a lid or foam tray and wrap them first in plastic and then in aluminum foil. Don't overcrowd them so that they don't get squashed.

Variations

This is a basic recipe with add-ins that can be varied to get different flavors.

• Ham or bacon: omit the tomato and add chopped ham (any type you like) or crunchy bacon bits.
• Spinach: a very popular flavor, make sure the spinach is as dry as possible so you don't add extra liquid to the batter. Use it instead of the tomato or add half of each.
• Vegetables: such as garlic (or garlic powder), onion, grated carrot, zucchini, eggplant (baked or roasted first in a medium oven until they are brown and have released the extra liquid). Chop them before adding them to the muffin batter. You can use a combination of them or individually, and can substitute them for the tomato.
• Corn: use cooked corn (frozen works very well). I like to roast it first until very lightly charred to add more flavor. Substitute the tomato in the recipe or use the corn in addition to it.
• Olives: green or black olives, chopped, can be added instead of the tomato for a fantastic variation.
• Mushrooms: chop and cook them first until they release all the liquid. Use them instead of the tomato.