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Golden spinach cheddar muffins

Soft cheesy muffins, packed with spinach and sun dried tomatoes. Perfect for brunch.
Prep 20 minutes
Cook 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 12

Ingredients 

  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 small onion finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 12 sun dried tomatoes chopped
  • 5 oz baby spinach roughly chopped
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 3.5 oz sharp white cheddar grated
  • 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Set aside. 
  • In a pan set over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onions and cook for 3-5 minutes, until tender. Stir in paprika, garlic powder and sun dried tomatoes and cook until fragrant. Turn off heat and add all of the spinach. Stir and allow the spinach to wilt. 
  • Whisk eggs in a large bowl. Next whisk in milk, the remaining olive oil and salt. Fold in the spinach and cheese. The mixture will be thick. 
  • Mix baking powder into the flour. The fold the flour into the batter and keep folding until no dry patches are left. 
  • Divide the batter between the muffin cups (about 3 tablespoons per cup). Top with pine nuts. Bake in the middle of the oven for 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. 
  • Remove muffins from the pan and allow to cool on a wired rack. Keep leftover muffins in the refrigerator and eat within 2 days. 

Notes

  • Use an ice cream scoop to divide the batter. It’s a mess-free way to do it and the only one that lets you make 12 equal portions. 
  • I use sun-dried tomatoes that are preserved in oil. It’s an extra boost of flavor for the muffins. But oil-free sun-dried tomatoes are okay too. 
  • When using cheese in this or any recipe, grate it yourself. The flavor and texture is different from the pre-shredded cheese. It’s an extra step but you won’t regret it. 
  • If you don’t have olive oil, any neutral oil (like vegetable oil or sunflower oil) is just as good. 
  • If pine nuts aren’t your thing, you can use other nuts or sesame seeds instead. Everything bagel seasoning would be delicious too.