Do you like savoury muffins? I think I might prefer them over the more conventional sweet kind. They certainly went down well with Kipper and DH when I made a batch for lunch one Sunday. Cake for lunch! Yum. Even if it is flavoured with sun-dried tomatoes and cheese.
We ate these yummy muffins still warm from the oven, and they were soft, light, fluffy and altogether scrumptious. They were also a doddle to make, so I will certainly be adding them to the “easy & fabulous” recipe file. All the ingredients were assembled from the contents of the pantry and fridge – this is a great recipe to use up odds and ends. A lone spring onion here, the end of a jar of sun-dried tomatoes there…
The pesto was a last minute addition. I spotted it as I went for the sun-dried tomatoes and thought it would add extra flavour, which it absolutely did. You could probably add a bit more without any problem if you really like pesto, or if you wanted to finish off a jar, or something like that.
DH split his open and dolloped humous on it, whereas Kipper and I just dived in and ate them. You could also spread these muffins with cream cheese, tapenade, or even just butter. Assuming you feel that they need further adornment. I’m not convinced.
There was one savoury muffin left, and I had it for a snack a couple of days later. It was still moist and just as tasty as when it was fresh. Store them in an airtight box and they’ll be fine for at least a day or two, so why not make a batch for family lunch boxes? They make a terrific change from sandwiches.
Makes 6 super-tasty savoury muffins.
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Sun-dried tomato & pesto savoury muffins
Deliciously soft, light and fluffy savoury muffins- perfect for lunch or a snack. Great for lunch boxes & picnics too!
Ingredients
- 125 g plain flour (1 cup)
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 100 ml milk or non-dairy alternative (scant 1/2 cup)
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp pesto
- 2 tbsp oil from a jar of sun-dried tomatoes or extra virgin olive oil
- 50 g sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
- 2 spring onions
- 50 g grated hard cheese
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 200C (400F). Line a 6-cup muffin tin with paper or silicon liners.
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Mix together the flour, baking powder, pepper and salt in a bowl and set aside.
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In a jug, whisk together the milk, egg, balsamic vinegar, pesto and oil.
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Finely chop the drained sun-dried tomatoes, and finely slice the spring onions.
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Add the sun-dried tomatoes, onions and liquid ingredients to the flour mixture and gently stir together until just combined. Add about 2/3 of the cheese and fold in.
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Divide the mixture between the prepared muffin cases - they should be quite full. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the muffins.
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Bake at 200C (400F) for 20-25 minutes until risen, golden brown, and a toothpick inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean.
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Allow to cool briefly before serving.
Recipe Notes
While you can adjust the amounts of tomatoes, pesto, spring onion and cheese to your liking, the balsamic vinegar is present not only for flavour but also as an acid to activate the raising agents, and should not be omitted.
If you like these, you might also enjoy my cheese & olive picnic muffins…
Hi Helen, could I omit the cheese from these? Would they still turn out okay?
Hi Rebecca. Yes, I’ve made them without the cheese before and they still turn out fine. I hope you enjoy them!
Absolutely lovely. Every Monday I task myself with making something
different for lunch while my husband is out, The smell got him as soon as he walked in and the taste was amazing, Intended to save some but unfortunately they were too good, Definitelty a do againer,
Thanks so much for your lovely comment. I’m really glad you both enjoyed them so much 🙂
I added pine nuts. Delish!
OOoh, yum! Great idea Lisa – I’ll give them a go next time.
Is it possible to sub oat flour for the plain flour?
Hi Ali. I haven’t tried with oat flour so I don’t know how it would behave. If you have a go, please come back and let us know how it turned out! Thanks, Helen.
Just about to make these …is it really a tablespoon of baking powder, or should it be teaspoon?
Hi Tina – yes, it’s a tablespoon! It sounds a lot but I promise it’s right. Your muffins will be tall, light and fluffy 🙂
Yes they were thanks, and delicious too!
Oh goodness, these do look yummy and they would be perfect for a family picnic. Commenting as BritMums Baking Round-up Editor
Thanks Julie! Yes, they’re great for picnics – now we just need the weather…
I love savoury muffins, and this sundried tomato & pesto combo sounds absolutely divine!
Thanks Andrea! I love sundried tomatoes and pesto together. We chuck them both in with pasta for a super-speedy and delicious dinner, too.
Goodness these look good… I need access to your ‘easy and fabulous’ recipe file….
Sorry Katie, the file only exists in my head! I probably ought to write it all down somewhere though.
These sound great, and I love how the cheese looks in the tops. I’d cover mine in butter 🙂
Thanks Ceri. I’m totally with you – lashings of butter on everything!
I am so excited to try these! Do they freeze well?
I haven’t tried, but I don’t see why not… Come back and let me know if you try! Thanks, Helen x.
OK, they freeze great! After defrosting, I put them on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet in a warm oven (around 100C) for about an hour and they were amazing!
Thanks Gail! That’s great to know!
Great recipe, Helen, I am a huge fan of savoury muffins! Also the links on your blog seem to be working fine.
What is spring onion and can I omit the pesto? Also on you picture on the bottom looks like you have olives? Do I just add them?
Hi Pnina. Spring onions are sometimes called salad onions or green onions I think – they’re long and thin and quite mild and usually used in salads. You can leave out the pesto with no problem. The photo at the bottom is for another similar recipe – cheese and olive picnic muffins
Hope this helps! Helen x.
Hi Pnina, not sure where you live, but in Israel they are called בצל ירוק (green onions) and in America they will be called scallions.
These muffins sound absolutely delicious! I’ve never made savoury muffins before so I must give them a try. Thank you 🙂
Thanks Alma. I must admit I prefer savoury muffins to sweet ones, on the whole. Maybe it’s just the novelty of savoury cake…?
Helen,
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. I tried making savory muffins for my kids to take to eat supper in the park the other week, and they came out way too dense and flat. I’m excited to try your picnic muffin recipe!
Thanks Miriam! I hope your kids enjoy them 🙂