Wednesday Recipes: Sausage-Cheddar Muffins

You guessed it, I made these for the last Church Fellowship I hosted. Several people asked for the recipe and one of my high-school Sunday Schoolers gave these a 10 out of 10. :) Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 lb. breakfast sausage (such as Jimmy Dean), bulk, not link

1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic: (the original calls for grated, but who does that?) = 2 garlic cloves

2 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

8 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded, about 2 cups, divided

(Original recipe called for fresh chives--I used dried)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Coat a 12-cup muffin tray with cooking spray (I used silicone cupcake holders) and set aside.

3. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add sausage and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt; cook, stirring often to break up meat into small crumbles, until well-browned and crispy, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Transfer sausage to a paper towel-lined plate; set aside.

4. Microwave butter and garlic in a medium microwaveable bowl on high until butter is melted, about 45 seconds. Stir together to incorporate. Let cool to room temperature, about 5 minutes. Whisk in eggs, buttermilk, and maples syrup until smooth. Set aside.

5. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt in a separate large bowl. Add buttermilk mixture, cooked sausage, and 1 3/4 cups of the cheese; stir until just combined (do not overmix).

6. Lightly coat a 1/3 measuring cup with cooking spray; spoon batter evenly into prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle evenly with remaining cheese.

7. Bake in preheated oven until muffins are golden brown, 22 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven. Transfer muffin tray to a wire rack; let cool 10 minutes.

8. Gently run knife around edges of each muffin; remove from tray. Garnish with chives, and serve warm.

9. Cooled muffins may be stored in airtight container in refrigerator up to 3 days; reheat before serving.

10. NOTE: I doubled the recipe but somehow ended up with 3 dozen muffins--great for a large group and they disappeared first during Fellowship hour! Source: Catherine Jessee, Southern Living, December 2023.
    

By the way, do you have a favorite recipe for church fellowship or brunch? Share below!