These apple cheese muffins are delicious! I've added thyme to give them a fragrant flavour that beautifully offsets the creamy cheddar and crisp apple.
Commissioned recipe.
Cheese Muffins
These muffins are really quick and easy to make. Just mix a few ingredients together, pour into the muffin tray and bake. Voila - 20 minutes later you have lovely fresh savoury muffins! They're perfect served with chilli, stew or just eaten on their own with a little butter and a hot cup of tea.
I've added fine polenta (cornmeal) to give them a bit of texture, as well as small chunks of apple. The cheese is melted into and onto the muffins for a double hit of sharp cheddar cheese. Thyme is a wonderful herb to bring out the flavour of both the apples and the cheese so I've mixed some into the batter.
Apple Cheese Muffins
I live in Somerset UK, in an area famed for its apples and cheddar cheese. Many houses have apple trees that are bursting with fruit at this time of year. I have two trees and the wind is blowing down apples continually at the moment!
My town is small and when the apples start falling, people often leave a box of the ones they don't need out for others to take. It's also a nice way of using different varieties. I have one very old eating apple tree and one sour cooking apple tree.
My neighbours have Bramleys so they're great for using in a pie, or my Apple Cider Cake with Salted Cider Caramel.
Not far away is the town of Cheddar, where the eponymous cheese comes from. Last summer we went camping at Cheddar Gorge, a huge underground cave system and found that they have loads of cheese ripening deep in the cold dark depths.
This cheese muffin recipe celebrates the best of my county's local delicacies. They're best washed down with our other famed foodstuff: alcoholic apple cider!
I love cooking with local cheddar, particularly in my recipes for sweet potato waffles with cheese shards or cheese and jalapeno cornbread. Quite versatile!
These cheese muffins would be fantastic as a quick breakfast, a snack or a lunch side dish to some instant pot mac n cheese - for extra oozy cheese factor.
Frome Cheese Show
I presume that you're here looking at this recipe because you love cheese. How much do you love cheese? Enough to take a holiday to a cheese show? Why not?! Local to me is the Frome Agricultural and Cheese Show
It's a Somerset celebration of cheddar, a commemoration of Colston Basset and a love of Red Liecester. Expect a the pungent aromas of Stinking Bishop to permeate the tents, while punters watch dog shows and cookery demos, sample local foodstuffs and listen to The Wurzels!
They have country pursuits from clay shooting and fishing to funfair rides, music and a horse displays. My mum is entering a flower arrangement into the show, so let's all wish her luck!
Expedia has created an interactive food map so you can choose a local foodie festival and find accommodation. Just choose the foodie event you want to go to and it will list all the local holiday cottages. I was rather amazed at just how many food events there are in the UK! This month you could also head to the famed Ludlow Food Festival, Great Cornish Food Festival and loads of seafood festivals.
Get the recipe for Apple Cheese Muffins with Thyme
Apple Cheese Muffins with Thyme
Ingredients
- 150 g plain flour (all-purpose)
- 75 g fine polenta (cornmeal)
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1 apple peeled and chopped into small chunks
- 75 g cheddar cheese grated
- 1 free range egg lightly beaten
- 200 ml whole milk
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
To decorate
- 2 tbsp cheddar cheese grated
- 1 tsp thyme leaves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 190C/375F. Lightly grease the cups of a muffin tray with cooking oil or butter.
- In a large bowl, sift in the flour, polenta, baking powder, salt and bicarb of soda. Stir in the apple chunks, cheese and thyme.
- In a small bowl, lightly whisk together the egg, milk and mustard.
- Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and stir to combine.
- Spoon the batter into the muffin cups ¾ full. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar over the batter.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the muffins have risen and turned a light golden colour. Sprinkle the top with the remaining thyme leaves onto the melted cheese.
- Allow to cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.
Nutrition Information
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Expedia. All opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that make it possible for me to write Veggie Desserts, a UK food blog.
Caris
Thanks for an awesome recipe..great flavor combos which is something I love when making a new recipe. Thanks for this - they were very easy and yum.
Lynn
I love these muffins as an alternative to breads and biscuits. They were really easy to make and tasty. We had them as a side to my grandma's famous chilli.
Iona W
Hello. I made these muffins last night and they were really yummy. I didn't have thyme but used rosemary. Really nice and had them in my lunch.
Christine
Hello, I was wondering if you used mini muffin pans as in the photos they looked smaller than the regular size?
Kate Hackworthy
Hi, I used a standard muffin tray, not mini. Perhaps its the angle!
Yorkshire Catering
I must say, these look amazing. They look great to make for parties, small buns you can hand around a room to please guest's. Ideal for us in the catering industry!
Sally - My Custard Pie
If I could have gone to Frome on Saturday I would have done - such a beautiful place ... and all that gorgeous cheese.
Sheila
I need to try this recipe out as soon as possible! Looks so delicious and tasty! Thanks for the share, love checking out your blog for recipe ideas.
Bob
How much mustard do you use?
Kate Hackworthy
Hi, it's 1 tsp of English or dijon mustard (though American mustard would work as well). I hope you enjoy them!
Rebecca | Let's Eat Cake
Ooooh! These apple cheese muffins look so yummy!
Dahn
I have always wished I could have fruit trees. I am so envious that you have two apple trees. I love the combination of apples with cheese and these muffins sound so good
Amy @ The Cook Report
These look like the perfect autumn snack, I love the addition of thyme