007 Muffins

These muffins are not ordinary muffins. These muffins have a secret. Wanna know what it is?

Broccoli. Delicious broccoli, stuffed right in the center.

I found this recipe some time ago and, after several less-that-desirable results, I finally seem to have found the right conversion that gives me the perfect savory little broccoli cake. Delicious!

I use less butter and slightly less cheese than the original recipe. I found it was too greasy for my taste. That's saying something, because this farm girl seriously loves butter. Yes yes.

What I did:

Grease the muffin tin. Note: If you're using the amount of butter in the original recipe, this is unnecessary. I use less, so the tins need a little something to make them not stick. Nobody likes a sticky muffin!

Preheat the oven to 350. Do it.

Blanche the broccoli for about 3 minutes. Do not leave them in the boiling water too long, as they still need to stand up in the muffin cups. After 3 minutes, rinse them in cold water and pat dry.

Beat the softened butter until it is creamy, then add the sugar and beat some more. Add the eggs and keep on beating it, you cruel thing, you. Mix together the dry ingredients and add these to the mixture, beating well. Lastly, fold in the cheese with a spatula or large spoon.

Put one spoonful of batter in each greased muffin cup.Stand one broccoli floret in each cup, and top with another spoonful of batter. Repeat until you have a dozen little muffins! It's going to look a little rough, and that's ok. The beauty is in the taste.

Bake for 30 minutes, until they are golden brown and smell delicious. Let them cool 15-20 minutes before eating. Nobody likes getting their tongue burned on hidden broccoli, and trust me when I say the broccoli inside is hotter than the muffins on the outside.

That's it! These are among my favorite side dishes, and are always a hit at potlucks, since they're easy to prepare ahead of time and transport and also because they're just so darn scrumptious!