Mary Berry’s cheesy herb muffins are the perfect savoury snack to have at a picnic or to go along with dinner, and these are incredibly easy to make.
This cheesy muffin recipe is packed with rich sundried tomato sauce, robust olives and flavoured with fresh basil to make them the ultimate comfort food.
In her cookbook ‘Quick Cooking,’ Mary Berry wrote: “Savoury muffins are so much quicker to make than bread. The texture is different, of course, but they are superb with soup, salads or for eating on the go.
“The cheese is lovely and oozy if you serve them warm. Eaten cold, they are still fragrant, with a nice saltiness from the cheese and olives. As with all muffins, this is a slightly moist and heavier bake, rather than a light and airy sponge.”
Preparing these cheesy muffins takes less than 10 minutes before placing them in the oven to bake for 20 minutes, making the total cooking time roughly 30 minutes.
Method
To begin, preheat the oven to 200C (180C for fan or Gas Mark 6) and line the muffin tin with muffin cases.
Measure out and pour the flour, baking powder and salt (the dry ingredients) into a large mixing bowl, then place the butter, egg and milk (the wet ingredients) in a jug or separate bowl.
Add the cheese, basil and olive to the bowl of dry ingredients and mix well. Then pour in the wet ingredients to the dry ingredient bowl and gently stir everything together with a fork.
Add the sundried tomato paste at the end but gently swirl it into the batter instead of stirring it in completely, as it will give a “lovely hit of tomato” when you bite into the muffin.
Divide the batter into the bases and bake in the oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until the muffins are well-risen and lightly golden brown.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes, but these tasty cheese muffins can be served warm or cold.
