Kabocha Squash & Cheddar Muffins

Sundays to me are a perfect baking day. You get a baked treat for one of your meals or snacks, and you have leftovers for the rest of the week. There’s nothing like waking up on a dreary & rainy Monday morning and having homemade muffins waiting for you.

These are savoury muffins, and a great reason to use some roasted kabocha squash (my favourite, and the sweetest of squash).  Because the squash is bright orange, it will tint your muffins a lovely yellow-orange colour.  I paired the squash with some old cheddar, dried chilis, and garlic.  YUM.

These delicious muffins are bonus-healthy with a protein boost from the Greek yogurt, a fibre boost from the whole wheat flour, squash, and flax seeds, and they just taste so darned good.

They are also a great excuse to try out lovely holiday prezzies from friends. The lovely Ash got me the cutest-ever measuring spoons (how did she know I needed a set?!) and a Baking Notes magnetic notepad from Knock Knock.  Awesome, and just the ticket for making new muffins.

I think I’ll be topping all of my muffins with nuts or seeds from now on.  The crunch is delightful, and look how pretty they are!

I think they’d be great alongside chili (like you would serve cornbreaad), and I know they are great on their own for a quick savoury breakfast.

Kabocha Squash & Cheddar Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

• 1 c. whole wheat flour
• 1 c. cornmeal
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. flax seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. aleppo chili pepper flakes or dried red chili flakes
• 1 c. roasted kabocha squash, mashed (see How to Roast Squash)
• 1 c. Greek yogurt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 c. milk (almond, skim…)
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 c. old cheddar cheese, grated
• 1/4 c. pumpkin seeds

Preheat oven to 350F.

Grease your muffin tin with olive or coconut oil.

In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour, cornmeal, baking soda & powder, flax, salt and chili flakes) with a whisk.

In a separate bowl, combine squash, yogurt, garlic, milk, and olive oil.  Add the squash mixture to the dry ingredients, and mix with a spatula to combine. Gently fold in the cheese.

Evenly distribute the batter amongst the 12 muffin cups and sprinkle the tops with the pumpkin seeds.

Bake at 350F for 45-50 minutes, until the tops are golden brown, and a knife or toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Let the muffins cool in the tin for at least 5 minutes.  Then remove them to a cooling rack to cool. Refrigerate or freeze any you don’t eat immediately.

Serve plain, à la Boyfriend (with a bit of salted butter), or à la Linz (with a bit of stinky blue cheese – Shropshire blue is delightful here).