Table of Contents
Key Takeaways
Before you make these ham and cheese cornbread muffins, you need to know:
- they are great as grab-and-go savory breakfast;
- you’ll love them for picnics, lunchboxes, and traveling because they’re so easy to pack and carry around;
- you can add almost any leftover ingredients that you have in your fridge before going to waste and that’s why this recipe is so adaptable;
- it’s a great recipe when you need to use up those Easter leftovers;
- these cornbread muffins are ideal if you’re into meal prep because they will save you a lot of time throughout the week;
- it’s better to make them without muffin liners;
- you can eat them while still warm, or cold;
- they reheat well!
Ingredients For Ham And Cheese Cornbread Muffins
- Flour – you will need 2 types of flour, all-purpose flour, and finely ground yellow cornmeal flour. I always recommend sifting together with the rest of the dry ingredients.
- Baking powder – for making the final product more airy and taller.
- Salt, spices, and herbs – I love adding dried thyme and sweet paprika powder to these muffins because they match wonderfully with the other ingredients but aren’t overpowering.
- Eggs – we need them for binding the ingredients and for some added proteins and fats.
- Kefir – the tanginess of kefir, especially if it’s homemade, makes these cornbread muffins much better! If you can’t get any, use buttermilk or yogurt instead.
- Butter – you need to melt the butter and let it cool slightly before adding to eggs and kefir mixture. You could use oil here, but butter gives better flavor.
- Ham/Smoked pork neck – I love using cooked ham in this recipe, but this time I had some smoked pork neck, and it also worked great! You can instead add some bacon or salami.
- Cheese – I mostly use some leftover cheese I have on hand in the fridge, like gouda or cheddar. If the cheese is salty, add less salt to the muffin batter.
- Spring onions (scallions) – for me, it’s a non-negotiable ingredient here. It gives an aroma and some pop of green color, but if you don’t have it, use some chives, finely diced green bell pepper, or even some jalapenos for a spicy kick!
Ham and Cheese Cornbread Muffins, Step-by-Step
Check out the recipe card at the end of this post. It has the exact amounts of ingredients and detailed recipe instructions!
1. STEP: Finely chop the meat, and onions and grate the cheese
Start by preheating the oven to 180°C (356°F), greasing the muffin tray holes with softened butter or lard, and chopping the spring onions and ham. Grate the cheese and set it all aside.
2. STEP: Mix dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls
In one bowl add dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, thyme, and sweet paprika, and whisk well. Whisk kefir, eggs, and melted butter in another bowl.
3. STEP: Combine all the ingredients
Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with dry ones and stir with a spatula until just combined. Add most of the ham, cheese, and spring onion reserving some of it for sprinkling on top of the cornbread muffins before baking and stir again.
4. STEP: Fill muffin cups with the batter evenly
Spoon the batter evenly among all 12 holes filling them right up. Sprinkle with the rest of the cheese, ham, and spring onions.
5. STEP: Bake
Bake these ham and cheese cornbread muffins in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Check the doneness with a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin. It should come out clean.
Important baking tip!
Due to a high ratio of cornmeal flour, I recommend baking these cornbread muffins without using muffin liners or using the ones made out of parchment paper.
The reason for this is straightforward: when done and still warm, the paper from these savory muffins won’t peel off that easily. When the muffins cool completely, that problem is gone, but they are definitely better when they are still warm so I want you to avoid this mess.
That’s why I recommend baking these in a well-greased non-stick muffin tray.
Also, I haven’t made these muffins using a silicone muffin mold, because I don’t own one, so I cannot recommend using it for this recipe.
Storing, Freezing and Reheating Cornbread Muffins
These ham and cheese cornbread muffins can be stored at room temperature in a zip-lock bag for up to 2 days. They can be kept longer, but in that case, I recommend putting them in the fridge and using them within 2 more days.
These muffins freeze well, too! Just put them in a zip-lock bag, squeeze the excess air out of the bag, and close tightly. Put them in the freezer. When ready to thaw them, you can do it on the counter for a few hours.
They reheat really well in the microwave.
If you try this recipe, tag @foodandmoodblog on Instagram or leave your comment and rating of this recipe here on the blog. I would love to hear from you!
More Savory Breakfast Ideas
Ham And Cheese Cornbread Muffins
Equipment
- non-stick baking muffin tray
Ingredients
- 100 g cornmeal flour finely ground
- 130 g all-purpose flour
- 7 g baking powder
- 4 g salt
- ½ teaspoon thyme dried
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
- 300 ml kefir
- 3 eggs M sized
- 70 g butter melted
- 90 g ham finely chopped
- 70 g cheese gouda or cheddar, shredded
- 1-2 spring onions chopped
- additional butter or lard for coating the muffin tray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F). Finely chop the ham, grate the cheese, and cut the spring onion into thin rings. Take a standard (non-stick) 12-hole muffin tray and coat it generously with softened butter or lard. Set aside.
- In one bowl add dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, thyme, and sweet paprika, and whisk well. Whisk kefir, eggs, and melted (but not too hot) butter in another bowl.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with dry ones and stir with a spatula until just combined. Add most of the ham, cheese, and spring onion reserving some of it for sprinkling on top of the cornbread muffins before baking and stir again.
- Spoon the batter evenly among all 12 holes filling them right up. Sprinkle with the rest of the cheese, ham, and spring onions. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
- Check the doneness with a toothpick, it should come clean when muffins are baked. Take them out of the oven, leave for 1-2 minutes in the baking tray and carefully remove from the muffin tray. You need to do this right away otherwise the bottom can become soggy.
Nutrition
Nutritional information provided is an estimate based on ingredients data and should be used for informational purposes only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on factors such as portion size, preparation methods and ingredients used.
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