Cheese Muffins

I need to clear out some space in my freezer, as sadly, I no longer have room for my KitchenAid ice cream maker freezer bowl. Most of the space in the freezer is taken up by various proteins so I'm cooking up some marinated chicken breasts to have as part of a salad for dinner tonight. I felt that dinner still needed a grain and I didn't have time to make yeast bread, so I decided to make some cheese muffins with the leftover sharp cheddar I had after making Cheesy Ham and Vegetable Chowder.

While I was very tempted to add other ingredients like bacon, onions, and spices, I like to try a recipe as written before I start messing with it most of the time. I only made a half-batch the first time around to try out the recipe and because that would be a lot of muffins for my husband and I to eat alone. Next time I may try swapping out part of the all-purpose flour for whole wheat as well.

Cheese Muffins
from The Joy of Cooking

2.5 c. all-purpose flour
1 T. baking powder
1 T. sugar
1 t. salt
1 c. grated sharp Cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
1 large egg
1.25 c. milk
1/2 c. (1/2 stick) butter, melted

1. Whisk flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt together in a medium bowl. Stir cheese into the dry ingredients until all the particles of cheese are separated.

2. Egg, milk, and melted butter together in a small bowl. Add to the dry ingredients with a few swift strokes.

3. Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Bake for about 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes before removing from the pan. If not serving hot, let cool on a rack. Serve within a few hours of baking.