Cheddar Cornmeal Muffins

Ingredients

4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup cornmeal (see comments above)
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
pinch cayenne pepper
1 cup whole milk
1 egg, room temperature
1 ½ cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Takes 22 Minutes, serves 12.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F with the rack in the middle position. Lightly grease a 12 cup muffin tray.
Melt butter in a small pan.
Place all of the dry ingredients into a small bowl and stir until thoroughly combined.
Whisk the milk and egg together in a large bowl. Whisk in the melted butter, followed by the dry ingredients. Add 1 cup of the cheddar cheese and stir to combine.
Divide the batter into the cups of the muffin tray. Sprinkle the muffin tops with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar.
Transfer to oven and bake for 12 minutes.
Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan. Enjoy.

These CHEDDAR CORNMEAL MUFFINS are always a welcome sight in the cottage kitchen. Having this recipe at the ready is always a win-win – I like making them and my guests like eating them. And of course, just to be clear, I like eating them too!

Here are a few things to consider when you go to make them:

Ingredients for cheddar cornmeal muffins

THE GIST OF IT

Take a look at the photo of all the ingredients you’ll need to make these muffins. Pretty basic, right? In our experience, even a simple gathering of ingredients such as these can create memorable baked goods. If you can, try making the recipe using organic flour, cornmeal, butter and eggs; you will taste the difference.

There is one ingredient that allows you to make this recipe your own: the cornmeal. Using coarse-grind cornmeal will give the muffins some crunch, while medium-grind is softer but still provides some bite. Fine-grind cornmeal is the softest, but the muffins won’t rise as much. Go HERE for a quick tutorial on cornmeal and choose one to your liking.

MIX MASTERING

Funny how these CHEDDAR CORNMEAL MUFFINS are like our two most popular recipes, THE BEST CARROT CAKE and OMA’S APPLE CAKE: they have very few steps. We’ve long been big fans of recipes where you just mix everything together, transfer to the baking vessel, bake and serve. Just goes to show, we’re big on delicious flavours but less excited about the clean up!

One thing about the mixing process for this recipe is that less is more. For best results, mix up the dry ingredients really well before adding the egg, milk and melted butter. After adding those wet ingredients, mix until everything is just combined. No need to stir the heck out of the batter.

CHEESE TOPPING

Ah, yes, let’s talk about the cheese, shall we? I’ve done all the heavy lifting with this recipe and have tested it with a number of different cheeses. For best results, use a sharp cheddar. I really like the way the first hit of cheddar gets baked directly into the muffins, but it’s the sprinkle of cheese on top that gets my two thumbs up. You’ll see how the cheese topper melts so perfectly and makes the first bite extra special.

WHERE WE GOING?

Muffin recipes are to cottages as ribs are to the barbecue – so perfect. Muffins are great to just have around in case someone wants a quick snack, but they’re also versatile and can be served next to a salad or hearty main. They’re trusted travelling companions too. If you’re planning a road trip, make them the night before and let these CHEDDAR CORNMEAL MUFFINS ride shotgun – you won’t be sorry.

Hopefully I’ve inspired you to make one of my favourite baked goods. When you do, try them next to my CAESAR or HEALTHY BROCCOLI SALAD. They’re also especially excellent with this BEST BEEF CHILI recipe.