This is the first of five finalist recipes I’ll post in the next ten days, before I announce the winner of the 3-A-Day of Dairy dairy recipe contest. It’s been fun so far, and I can’t wait to continue sampling the goods. Once again, thank you to everyone who entered recipes in the contest. Since I chose the finalists myself, I was able to review each and every recipe, and wound up printing a huge stack of them. I just hope I live long enough to try them all.
(Fig’s Cheese Muffins Printable Recipe)
Today we’re making Cheese Muffins, submitted by Fig. The recipe appealed to me not just because of the sheer amount of grated cheese in the recipe, but because of its potential versatility: I could picture the muffins alongside a big bowl of soup, with a juicy steak, or next to a big, green salad.
So c’mon—let’s give ’em a try!
I started by whisking together the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Then, according to Fig’s directions, I dumped in—get this—3 cups of grated colby/jack cheese!
That’s just a heckuva lot of cheese, man. But hey—I’m not complaining.
I gave the mixture a quick stir, just to combine.
Next, I mixed the wet ingredients: egg, milk, and melted butter. I made sure the butter wasn’t too hot before I poured it in.
Then I added the wet ingredients to the flour/cheese mixture.
Stirring it together, I noticed how incredibly sticky it was!
And the cheese, I saw, was definitely the chief ingredient in the batter.
Because I’m morally against buttering and flouring pans (not really—I’m just lazy) I sprayed the muffin tin generously with baking spray (the stuff in the blue can). Then I spooned in the batter so it fit equally into the twelve cups of the tin.
Then I popped ’em into the oven for 20 minutes. When I pulled them out, I stuck a fork into one of them and took a bite. I tasted a slight floury/doughy flavor, so I put them back in for five more minutes.
That did the trick.
And mmmm. They looked—and smelled—wonderful.
Very interesting texture on top…but I couldn’t wait to pull one apart.
The verdict? Completely delicious and delightful, and I’m not just saying that to be nice. They have a ver different texture than an average “muffin”—crispy around the outside and airy and extremely cheesy, on the inside. According to Fig’s directions, the muffins should be eaten warm…and she’s right. Though they’re tasty at room temperature, warm is definitely where it’s at. Thanks, Fig, for your entry.
Fig’s Cheese Muffins
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups shredded colby-jack cheese
1 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter (I used salted)
Whisk together dry ingredients, then stir in cheese.
In a separate bowl, whisk egg, milk, and butter together. Pour milk mixture into dry ingredients and stir with a spoon to combine.
Bake in greased muffin tins at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
Makes 12.
Fig’s Cheese Muffins Printable Recipe
Watch for the next finalist recipe shortly.
