Whenever I find myself eating a scrumptious mini muffin at a friend’s house I make a mental note to make them more often myself. The trouble is, I feel I need the right occasion. With friends coming round for the afternoon I felt that both cake and savoury nibbles were called for and a batch of mini muffins seemed just the right thing.
I used my pear and goat’s cheese recipe that you can see here and adapted it for what I had in the fridge. On this occasion I therefore made mushroom, bacon and onion mini muffins and they went down a treat.
As I was filling the holes in the mini muffin tin I realised I had been more generous with the mixture than usual and it would probably not stretch to a second 24 hole tin. Then I remembered my 12 hole tin which was a charity shop find from last year. It was apparently brand new as it had no sign of wear and tear or previous use (so many things in charity shops seem to be on the shelf sporting a few bits of the previous owner’s last meal – yuk) and for 50p it was a real bargain. I knew it would come in handy eventually.
This basic recipe is very useful and can be adapted for lots of different fillings. It makes a light and fluffy little muffin, just right for a one or two-bite mouthful and very moreish.
They are best eaten on the day they are made but will freeze well if you simply put them in a bag. Defrost thoroughly and warm gently for a few minutes in a low oven (140 C) before serving.
Ingredients
280g plain flour
1 tblsp baking powder
a large pinch of salt
black pepper
2 medium eggs
250 ml milk
6 tblsp sunflower oil
a 100g pack of smoked lardons
4-5 medium sized mushrooms
1 small onion
a handful of grated Emmental cheese (optional)
Method
Chop the onion and mushrooms and add with the lardons to a frying pan. Cook until the lardons are cooked. You may or may not want to add a little oil, depending on how fatty the lardons are. Set aside to cool.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/ 180°fan/ gas mk 6. Grease two 24-hole mini muffin tins.
Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Stir in the cooked lardons etc. Season with salt and pepper and mix together.
Lightly beat the eggs and mix with the milk and oil. Add to the other ingredients and mix until just combined.
Spoon the mixture into the muffin tins. Scatter the grated cheese over the top.
Bake for about 15 minutes until risen, golden and firm to the touch. Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Makes 36-48 mini muffins (depending on how well you fill the holes).
Lovely idea and very useful when you need to feed a lot of people. I can imagine they would be more than a little agreeable alongside an early evening drink (or maybe two).
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