Savoury Muffins with a Cream Cheese Centre

Muffins: not just the domain of Starbucks and Costco. If you’ve never tried a savoury muffin (and I’ll be honest here, I had only eaten them a handful of times in my life before too), then you’re missing out.

Unlike their sweet counterparts, savoury muffins can be enjoyed for breakfast relatively guilt-free (I say relatively because there’s quite a bit of cheese in these bad boys, but there’s also spinach, so you know, whatever). Also, these are great to make in a batch on a Sunday evening and then eat as a quick pre-work breakfast during the week. Warm them up in a moderate oven for a few minutes if you have time  – it will make the cream cheese oozier – and then slather on a bit of butter.

Or just pack them in your next picnic. Because no-one likes curly sandwiches with their prosecco.

Savoury Muffins with a Cream Cheese Centre

Recipe by Julia

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

25

minutes

Ingredients

• 500g (4 cups) plain flour

• 4 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp salt

• 3 eggs, beaten

• 250ml (9 fl oz) milk

• 50ml (2 fl oz) olive oil

• 100g (1 1/4 cups) cheddar cheese, grated

• 75g (3/4 cup) Parmesan, grated

• 150g (2/3 cup) cooked spinach, chopped

• 1 tsp Tabasco hot sauce (or equivalent)

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 200g (8 oz) cream cheese

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 200C/ 400F. Line a muffin tray with plain white paper cases, or simply grease each of the muffin holes with a little oil.
• Into a large mixing bowl sift the flour, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the eggs, milk and oil and stir until just combined (do not overmix). Lightly fold in the two grated cheeses, spinach, hot sauce and a few grounds of black pepper.
• Half-fill each of the muffin cases (or holes) with the dough, then add a spoonful of cream cheese and cover with the remaining mixture.
• Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden and cooked through. Remove from the tray and eat while still warm.