Cheddar & Chive Polenta Muffins

Guess what I invented?

Cheddar & Chive Polenta Muffins:

And ohhh are they good. As soon as I had the batter mixed I knew they were good, and all my suspicions were reinforced when they were baking.  Nothing else smells this good baking.  Mmmm.  (As a heads up, they may look done at around 20-25 minutes, but they really do need the full baking time to be cooked all the way through to the centres).

And once out of the oven, the taste confirmed it: YUM!

These are great for snacks, or breakfast, or any time really.  We had them around here as an accompaniment to a big salad dinner last week (and yes, we’re still doing Kale Caesars).  Sometimes you need more than just a salad, and these fit the bill quite nicely.   Mmmm, cheddar & chives.

Cheddar & Chive Polenta Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

Dry Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c. coarse ground cornmeal (polenta or grits, I use these)
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 – 1 tsp. dried chili flakes (optional)

Wet Ingredients

• 1 c. plain Greek yogurt
• 1 Tbsp. coconut oil
• 2 eggs, beaten

Mix Ins

• 1 c. old cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 big handful of chives, chopped

Preheat oven to 350F, and grease a muffin tin with coconut oil.

Combine Dry Ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  In a separate bowl, combine Wet Ingredients.  Fold Dry Ingredients into Wet Ingredients, and stir until well combined.

Add the Mix Ins, and gently stir throughout the batter.

Pour evenly, filling each muffin cup 3/4 full.

Bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes, rotating the pan once in the baking process.  Once the muffins are done baking, they should be golden brown on top, and a skewer or sharp knife poked into the centre of a muffin should come out clean.

Let cool for five minutes, then remove muffins gently from muffin tins and let cool completely on a cooling rack.