Cheesy Muffin Recipe

If I had to choose between muffins or cupcakes, I would choose muffins hands down. There's something about the rustic simplicity of muffins that appeals to me. They taste good without needing any brightly coloured icing and toppings, and eating a muffin (or three) feels like I'm indulging in a treat without it being too unhealthy. Most of all, I just love the fact that baking muffins is so simple, easy and quick to do. Baking helps me to relax, and baking muffins is perfect for when I need to take a little breather from my busy life but am too tired for baking anything more involved. I have baked savoury muffins before, and this cheese muffin recipe is a much simpler and quicker version of that. A friend who paid us a short visit ate a muffin fresh out of the oven, and asked me for the recipe (which is the nicest compliment I could get for my cooking). My 2-year-old boy loves eating these cheesy muffins, and I have no qualms giving them to him because they are pretty healthy and nutritious.

Cheesy muffins

Ingredients

2 cups (250g) plain flour
2.5 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon (~15g) caster sugar
1 cup (~75g) coarsely grated cheese (I used a mix of cheddar and parmesan)
1 1/4 cups (250mL) milk
1/4 cup (50mL) olive oil
2 eggs
extra grated cheese for topping

Method

1. Preheat oven to 190°C.
2. Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl, then stir in sugar and cheese.
4. In a jug, combine the wet ingredients (milk, oil and eggs) and whisk lightly.
5. Add the wet mixture to the bowl of dry ingredients and combine well.
6. Spoon mixture into a 12-muffin tray to only 2/3 full, and top with extra grated cheese.
7. Bake for 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean. Stand for 5 minutes in pan before turning onto a wire rack to cool.
8. Best enjoyed fresh and warm out of the oven, and freezes well.