Cheese and Chorizo Muffins

By: Pete on 22:33:00

These are very handy savoury snacks...very portable, and plenty of flavour (they have one of my "cheat" ingredients in chorizo, as it makes everything taste amazing). I adapted this from a Waitrose recipe card...I found their recipe a bit bland and stingy on the sizes, so I tweaked it, adding loads more flavour, and more generous portions.

One thing I found is that they tend to stick quite badly to paper cases, so I cook them in silicone cases, then put the cooled items into paper cases to serve them...that way you don't have to battle to peel off the case. This base recipe also works well with other ingredients (I've done carrot and courgette versions, omitting the chorizo, adding in 100g of grated carrot and courgette, and also adding some cumin powder for some extra flavour).

Cheese and Chorizo Muffins

• Pre-heat oven to 200'C

Ingredients

• 330g wholemeal self-raising flour
• 120g strong cheddar cheese (grated) + extra for sprinkling on top 
• 150ml full fat milk
• 180ml full fat yoghurt 
• 1 large egg 
• 120g chorizo (diced) 
• 120g thinly sliced onion
• 1tsp olive oil
• 1tsp soft brown sugar
• 1tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1tsp baking powder
• ½tsp bicarb of soda
• 1tsp mustard powder

1)  Place the olive oil in a frying pan on a high heat, until the oil smokes

2) Add the onions and the sugar, stirring the sugar in.

3) Reduce to a medium-low heat, and add the balsamic vinegar

4) Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally

5) Add the chorizo, and cook for another 8-10 minutes, while stirring

6) Remove from the heat, and allow to cool

7) In a large mixing bowl, place the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cheese and mustard powder

8) In a large jug, put the yoghurt, milk and egg, and whisk until thoroughly combined

9) Add the cooled onion and chorizo to the mixing bowl, and stir to combine and mix everything

10) Pour the yoghurt mixture into the bowl, and combine until everything is just mixed. with muffins you want to do the minimum possible mixing, so as soon as all the dry ingredients are wet, and there are no dry pockets left then stop

11) Spoon the mixture into 12 silicone muffin cases (it will be about 90g per case), and place these in a 12-hole muffin tray

12) Sprinkle a little cheese on top of each muffin

13) Bake in the oven for 20 minutes

14) Remove to a wire rack to cool

15) Remove the silicone cases, and put the muffins in paper cases to serve