Bell Pepper and Cheddar Savory Muffins

Delicious cornbread muffins studded with red bell pepper and cheddar cheese. These veggie-filled savory muffins stand alone with melted butter as a snack or for breakfast, but also taste great with eggs, chili, and stews.

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Cornbread is simply delicious. It’s flavorful, has a gritty but appetizing texture, and pairs so well with SO many foods. I love a good cornbread, especially during chili season, and I’ve been known to order skillet cornbreads from my fair share of restaurant menus.

Since my appreciation for cornbread runs deep, I’ve been eager to find a way to package this amazing food into a more manageable, easy-to-eat vehicle. Enter: savory muffins!

Made with a honey-sweetened cornmeal base, these Bell Pepper and Cheddar Savory Muffins have everything there is to love about cornbread and then some. For one, they contain a veggie…because, obviously. And two, they have some sneaky cheddar cheese!

The rest of the ingredients are easy peasy (and I bet you have most of them in your pantry): all purpose flour (can sub gluten free flour), baking powder, salt, unsalted butter, eggs, and milk (I used almond milk).

If you also love cornbread and/or you’re just looking for a way to sneak some veggies into a muffin, this one’s for you!

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Tips for Making Savory Muffins

• Use a mix of cornmeal and all-purpose flour. I used equal parts stone ground cornmeal from Bob’s Red Mill (it’s amazing!) and all-purpose flour. Just using cornmeal would make these muffins too crumbly and gritty. I think they’d just fall apart!
• Fill each hole in the muffin tin to the top. Or at least 3/4 of the way. And don’t press the batter down with a spoon. You want these bad boys to rise.
• Keep an eye on the baking time. I found that my muffins were perfect after 18 minutes at 375, but depending on your oven, you may want to check them as early as 16 minutes. Insert a toothpick into a muffin in the center of the tin to see if they’re baked through.
• Make sure you dice the bell pepper into tiny pieces. Mixing in small pieces will help ensure that the pepper is evenly distributed in the muffins. And be sure to reserve some pieces to sprinkle on top of the muffins before they go into the oven!
• Let them cool for at least 10-15 minutes in the muffin tin before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

How long do these muffins last?

You can store these muffins in a sealed container at room temp for 2-3 days. If you still have some left after that, I’d recommend storing them in the fridge to prevent them from spoiling.

I haven’t tried it myself, but you can also freeze these muffins in a freezer bag. Defrost in the fridge or at room temp before serving.

Ways to Eat Bell Pepper and Cheddar Savory Muffins

There are SO many possibilities with these guys. Here are some great ways to eat them:

• Warmed up with some melted butter and/or honey (SO good!)
• On the side of chili, stew, or soup
• Served with eggs and other breakfast or brunch foods
• Plain, as a snack

For some of my other muffin recipes, check out my Zucchini Carrot Oat Muffins, Strawberry Rhubarb Baked Oatmeal Muffins, Spinach Banana Muffins, and Sweet Potato Blueberry Flax Muffins.

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Have a great week!

Lizzie