Hide the Cheese Lavender-Cheddar Muffins

We had a busy, fantastic, fun weekend. Along with Halloween and visits from some of our favorite people on the planet, we had a bash for my birthday, complete with a band whose services we had bought at the Acorn Hill silent auction. It was such a treat to have the house filled with music, and even better to have that music enhanced by the sounds of conversation and laughter. A big, noisy party does me good.

Of course there was food. We made a large version of the Dinner in a Pumpkin, some frittatas, noodles, a grilled veggie platter, Grilled Eggplant Baba Ganoush, and a red pepper-feta dip. Friends and family filled in the gaps with fried plantains, spinach fritters, fresh veggies, and black bean sliders. For desserts, we made Oscar's crowd-pleasing brownies along with pecan bars and red velvet and carrot cupcakes that our super babysitter made as part of her cupcake business. I will have some of those recipes to write up for you soon.

Grating cheese and mixing the batter.
In addition to the food that we served, there were a couple of dishes I planned to make that I didn't get finished, including these savory muffins. A while back, Oscar declared, "Mom, you should make Hide the Cheese muffins!" We are fans of Alice Waters' Hide and Seek Muffins from Franny at Chez Panisse, and aparently he thought we should have our own Hide the Cheese version. The idea of a savory muffin had been rattling around in my head anyway, because I thought they would be the perfect nibble to accompany a drink. I loved the idea.

Cubing the cheese and hiding it.

I tested this recipe out a couple of weeks before the party thinking I could make them in advance and freeze them. They were a big hit around here, though, and after everyone ate their fill, there were none left to freeze. I never got around to making more for the party, so now I'll think of these as my woulda, coulda, shoulda muffins. I think they make an excellent snack and would be delicious on the Thanksgiving table or at brunch. If I get enough of these recipes together, it just may be the excuse I need to have another party.

Second Helping: Pumpkin Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Hide the Cheese Lavender-Cheddar Muffins

When I made these muffins, I did not completely submerge the cheese cubes with batter, and the result was that the cheese bubbled up and coated the top of the muffins. They were delicious that way, but when I make them again, I will try topping some of the cheese cubes with batter to see if I get a gooey, cheesy center. I'll update this post once I've given it another go.

Makes 10-12 muffins
20 minutes preparation time
20-25 minutes baking time

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried lavender
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
1 1/4 cups grated cheddar
12 small cubes of cheddar (mine were about 1/2-inch cubes)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and oil a standard 12-cup muffin tin (or line it with cupcake liners)

Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and lavender together in a small bowl. Add the egg, milk and grated cheese, and mix just until all of the flour mixture has been incorporated. The batter will be stiff and quite lumpy.

Spoon the batter into the cups of a muffin tin, filling each cup about two-thirds full. Push one cube of cheese into each muffin. The batter will come up around the sides of the cheese cube but will not quite swallow it.

Bake until a toothpick comes out clean (don't put it in the center where the cheese is), about 20 to 25 minutes. The muffins are best served warm.

Jobs for children: Children can help grate cheese, measure, mix, grease or line muffin tins, and, of course, hide the cheese.

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Comments

[Leticia- Tech Savvy Mama]

A babysitter with a cupcake business? Clearly I might need her catering skills for an upcoming birthday party!

Thanks so much for including us for such a fun evening! We always love to see you and happy belated birthday!

[Gena Berg]

I'm having a hard time finding culinary lavender. Is there another savory spice that would make these just as yummy?