Thursday Recipe - Cheese Muffins

I found my recipe book from my junior high Home Ec class. It's got some great old classics in it. The trick to tender muffins is to stir them as little as possible after you pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones. If you do overstir, they'll still taste good, they just might be a bit chewy.

These muffins are only slightly sweet. You need to use a very sharp, good quality cheese to really get the flavor. They go great with chili, soup, or salad. I think I'm going to go whip up a batch right now...

Cheese Muffins

1 3/4 c. flour
2 T. sugar
2 1/2 t. baking powder
3/4 t. salt
1 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 egg, well-beaten
3/4 c. milk
1/3 c. oil
dash of tabasco hot sauce

Heat oven to 400°. Put paper liners in 12 regular muffin cups and set aside.

Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the cheese shreds. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine egg, milk, and oil. Beat together.

Make a hole in the middle of the dry ingredients. Pour in the wet ingredients. Stir gently just until the flour is moistened. You will have lumps! This is okay. DO NOT stir until well blended. You will get tough muffins if you do.

Scoop batter into the muffin cups, filling each 1/2-2/3 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, just until lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean.

Makes 12 muffins.