Some people like pancakes for breakfast. Others prefer waffles. I’ll take savory muffins over both, especially if I’m the one preparing the meal. Why?
Pancakes and waffles have to be cooked in batches. With muffins, you make the batter, pour it into a pan, stick the pan in the oven, and they all cook at the same time. That means everyone gets to eat a hot meal at the same time.
These savory breakfast muffins are meatless but delicious. They muffins are made with with a combination of all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour. The greens are spinach and scallions. For more about scallions, see the linked post below.
Scallion, spring onion, leek and shallot: how to differentiate
Spring onion leaves look like scallions but they are not the same. Leeks look like large scallions but it’s a different vegetable. Shallots aren’t simply small onions. Confused? Read on.
For the cheese component, I used cheddar pepper Jack for bite. Other kinds of cheese will work too. Parmesan, Gouda and feta are great choices.
Spinach and cheese breakfast muffins
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter
- ¾ cup spinach blanched, squeezed and finely chopped
- ¾ cup finely sliced scallions
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 6 tablespoons sugar
- 125 grams sharp cheddar cut into 1/4-inch cubes
- 125 grams Pepper Jack cut into 1/4-inch cubes
- 1 cup full-cream milk
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Line a 12-hole muffin pan with paper cups.
- Melt the butter in a frying pan.
- Add the scallions and spinach.
- Cook, stirring, for about a minute. Cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the two flours, baking powder, salt, baking soda and sugar.
- Throw in the cubed cheeses and toss to coat each piece with flour.
- In another mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs and milk.
- Take cooled spinach mixture and stir into the flour mixture. Make sure to scrape all the butter from the pan and into the flour.
- Pour the milk-egg mixture into the flour mixture and mix just until the dry ingredients are moistened, about 12 turns. Overmixing muffin batter results in tough muffins.
- Using an ice cream scoop, fill the muffin holes with the batter, about 3/4 full.
- Bake at 350F for 25 to 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted at the center of the muffin comes out clean.
- Cool the muffins in the pan for five minutes. Transfer to a rack.
- These muffins are best served while warm and the cheeses are still soft.
