Quick and easy muffins with cheese, ham and pizza sauce. Made only with a bowl and a fork!
I’m writing this post and my keyboard is full of crumbs! (So you know, I’m actually really neat and tidy but these muffins bring out my gluttony self). It’s a good thing I don’t have to talk to you, because all you’d be able to hear would be some ramblings between my chewing sounds ( again, I usually don’t talk with my mouth full…).
This is my third muffin so far and I can’t keep my hands off of them. They’re becoming a problem. A good one.
The first time I made these was at a brunch, along with my favorite smoothie and a lemon coconut olive oil cake, and everyone was obsessed with them!
Imagine this:
The fluffiest muffin you have ever eaten with a melt-in-your mouth crumb.
A cheesy, CHEESY, flavor that hits your taste buds from the moment you put it in your mouth. No wait, that’s wrong. You get that cheesiness a lot sooner, by just smelling them.
A warm meaty flavor from the ham.
A saltiness from the olives.
A fresh taste from the tomato sauce.
A hint of fruity olive oil to wrap things up.
Make some of these bad boys today. Close your eyes and take a bite. Indulge yourself. Now look at the time. These were some of the best minutes of your day. Now stuff your mouth with another one… (Sorry if I'm too excited)
Aside everything else, these muffins are super cute and adorable. I mean, look at them. How can you not love them? They’re perfect as an appetizer if you want to feed a lot of people and no one will complain. They’re crowd pleasers I tell you!
To achieve a nice presentation, I skipped the usual muffin liners and cut some baking paper into 5-inch squares. With a glass the same size as my muffin tin holes, I pressed the paper squares firmly to fit in the holes. My papers didn’t want to stay in their place, so after giving them their shape I had to hold them with my one hand while I filled them with an ice cream scoop I was holding with my other hand. It will be a lot easier if you have some help! Or you can always use regular liners.
Serve plain, as an appetizer with some green salad or with some rose geranium tomato marmalade.
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Recipe
Olive oil cheesy pizza muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons potato flour or cornstarch
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- Pinch of pepper
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
- 2 tablespoons water
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 ¼ cups grated cheese (parmesan, sharp cheddar, or naxos gruyere)
- 1 cup good quality ham in small cubes
- ½ cup kalamata black olives
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste + 3 tablespoons water
- or
- 6 tablespoons of your favorite pizza sauce
- Some extra grated cheese for sprinkling about 4-6 tablespoons
- Some extra oregano for sprinkling
- Some extra olives
Instructions
- Preheat your oven at 340˚F (170 ˚C)
- In a bowl mix the 9 first ingredients (the dry ones).In another bowl mix all the liquids and add them to the dry ingredients. Stir with a fork until almost combined.Add the cheese, ham and olives and stir gently. Don’t overmix.
- Divide into 12 muffin cups.Wet a spoon and flatten their surface a little. Top with a teaspoon of tomato sauce, a sprinkle of parmesan, oregano and olives.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.Leave on a rack to cool. Eat.
Brianna Danner
These sound delicious! And your writing style is adorable. I would totally eat these for dinner with a big green salad.
Makos
Thank you for your kind words Brianna !!!
Erica Schmidt
Just finished making these for dinner and they were so delicious! I thought my daughter was going to make herself sick, she ate so many! Thanks for a great recipe!
Makos
Thank you very much Erica!
Happy you liked it!
Gloria
Hi Makos!
I know you posted this ages ago but I want to make them for a picnic and was wondering if it is possible to make these vegetarian. Do you have any suggestions for what I can swap the ham out for? Mushroom? Spinach? Pineapple (so it’s almost like a Hawaiian pizza – trying to cater for kids here!)? Would they be too watery and kill the batter and texture of the muffin? Thanks!
Makos
Hi Gloria!
You can use the recipe just as it is without the ham, or you can cook some chopped mushrooms over high heat until they lose all of their liquid, and then add them to the batter. I don't know if spinach or pineapple will work. Hope this helps 🙂
Have a great picnic!