The surprise for me with this recipe is the blend of cayenne pepper and ground black pepper. When you bite into the muffins, you can feel the heat in the back of your throat. It is not overwhelming though and the peppers balance nicely with the pumpkin, cheddar cheese, and the sweetness of the brown sugar. I used some of the leftover pumpkin that I had roasted for the Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good which, along with the sour cream and cheddar, made the muffins so moist.
The pumpkin seeds are optional, but I had roasted the pumpkin seeds from the little sugar pie pumpkins and used some to decorate each muffin top. The seeds not only gave them a pretty touch, but also gave the muffins a nice little crunch with each bite. Matt and Renato suggest using raw milk cheddar cheese in this recipe, but I used the Tillamook sharp cheddar cheese that I always have on hand and it gave the muffins so much flavor without overpowering the pumpkin. This recipe is a keeper and one that I will be making often during the fall and winter months. I had enough batter to make 12 standard-size muffins and four smaller ones.
These muffins are refreshingly different and so delicious and great to eat at any time of the day. If you have never had a savory/sweet muffin, you should try this recipe and taste them for yourself. Visit BAKED Sunday Mornings to see what the other members thought about these muffins. You can get the recipe there.
I wish mine had turned out as nice as yours and Mikes! Mine were dry, and almost bread like. Very dense - but not in a good way. I love the taste though! I need to try and make them again and see what I did wrong.
ReplyDeleteThese muffins sound great, and a nice change from the standard recipes. I love the combination of sweet and savory!
ReplyDeleteGreat description of these little gems! They were wonderful. Your's look great!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! Love your muffin tins!
ReplyDeleteWe loved these, too! Your photos are great. I especially like the one of the Turkey!
ReplyDeleteI loved these as well, and totally agree with your post. Nice work, and you have some really nice shots :)
ReplyDeletegreat post! and pics! the lighting really tells the story of fall flavored muffins!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! I found cheddar milk at Trader Joe's but used up some sharp in the fridge too! These WERE a great surprise -one of those "anytime" muffins! I love your pans too... are those vintage??? That pattern is so neat on them!
ReplyDeleteMmm...pumpkin seeds! I have some to roast too. I must say I have been surprised by the mix of cheese and pumpkin. I have seen it a lot lately. I would never of thought to add cheese to pumpkin muffins!
ReplyDeleteElaine, Beautiful muffins! Glad you enjoyed them. The thought of mixing cheese with pumpkin in muffin form would have never occurred to me. Love your antique muffin pans.
ReplyDeleteI have not heard of pumpkin and cheddar combination before. Really curious about this one
ReplyDeleteThese look lovely, Elaine! I need to get back into the swing and check the Baked schedule! Your muffins look excellent :)
ReplyDeleteSo funny that almost every post is the same - skeptical, then delight! I loved these too and they're simple enough to make them often.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I love that pumpkin stuffed with everything good!
Pretty photos...love your muffin tins. I liked all the subtle flavors together, but next time, I want bold flavor--one of my daughters thought they needed more cheese and another thought a stronger cheese...I'm thinking pepper jack cheese. This is a fun base that lends itself to experimentation...love your pumpkin seeds; very pretty.
ReplyDeleteLove savoury muffins...those would make a great breakfast.
ReplyDeleteThese sound incredible...the pumpkin cheddar must be such a great combination!
ReplyDeleteYour description of these muffins is right on, and yours are beautiful! I'm looking forward to making these all through the fall and winter too!
ReplyDeleteThese are great looking muffins. I recycled my pumpkin stuffed with everything good in this week's soup!
ReplyDeleteThose look delicious and I love the look of the pumpkin seeds on top!
ReplyDeleteThese sound perfect for the season, Elaine! I wish I could have these for breakfast tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteLove the addition of cayenne pepper!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful perfect muffins!! You can tell they are so moist and perfectly baked and I love that combination of flavors. It's such a nice change from all of the sweet pumpkin recipes you see! Great post!
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