Trio of Savoury Muffins

By franny-2

Savoury muffi ns make an interesting change from bread or crackers to serve with soup. Offering a variety of fl avours adds to the party atmosphere, letting guests mix and match with different soups. These are best served fresh from the oven so measure and prepare the ingredients ahead, then just do the mixing and baking as close to serving as possible. If you do bake them ahead, reheat them wrapped in foil packages in a 350°F (180°C) oven for about 5 minutes before serving. Set the muffi ns out in separate baskets nestled in towels to keep them warm, with cards or labels noting the flavours.

Ingredients

• 2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
• 1/4 tsp (1 mL) baking soda
• 1/4 tsp (1 mL) freshly ground pepper
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) plain yogurt (not fat-free)
• 1/3 cup (80 mL) butter, melted
• PARMESAN & GARLIC
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• HERB & SEED
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) unsalted green pumpkin seeds, chopped or roasted sunfl ower seeds
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) poppy seeds or toasted sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh leafy herbs (basil, cilantro, parsley or oregano, or a mixture)
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) chopped fresh thyme
• WALNUT & ROSEMARY
• 1/3 cup (80 mL) finely chopped toasted walnuts
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) minced fresh rosemary

Details

Servings 36

Preparation

Step 1

1 Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease 36-cups of mini-muffin pans.

2 Combine flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and pepper in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, sugar, yogurt and butter. Pour over dry ingredients and stir just until moistened.

3 Gently spoon one-third (about 1 cup/250 mL) of the batter into each of 2 more bowls so you have 3 equal bowls of batter. Add the Parmesan & Garlic ingredients to 1 bowl, the Herb & Seed to 1 bowl and the Walnut & Rosemary to the remaining bowl. Gently fold to incorporate fl avourings, being careful not to overmix the batter.

4 Divide batters among muffi n cups. Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, rotating pans partway through, for about 15 minutes or until golden and tops spring back when lightly touched. Let cool in pans on a rack for 5 minutes, then transfer muffi ns to the rack to cool slightly. Serve warm.