Cornmeal Olive Oil Muffins

I kept my promise! Not only did I want to give you something prettier to look at, but I also was very inspired by a new cookbook I bought yesterday called The SoNo Baking Company Cookbook. The book is written by John Baricelli, who works with Martha Stewart, and provides the recipes for 125 of his most delectable recipes from his bakery in Connecticut.

It is so dangerous for me to go into Barnes and Noble. I'm not sure I've ever left the store without at least one cookbook and one other book for me to read. I am addicted to books. This cookbook immediately caught my eye with its beautiful photography and amazing sounding recipes. I started mentally cataloging recipes that I would search for once I got home. My list got so long, that I decided it would be smarter to just buy the book. After all, I do need to start my own collection of cookbooks.

Cookies have been on my mind as of late. Rather than bore you with yet another cookie recipe, I wanted to share something that you could have for breakfast. Something not quite as sweet as the other things that have been showing up here lately. I like to have a little treat in the mornings from time to time, so muffins seemed the obvious choice.

I did a bit of tweaking. I subbed Greek yogurt in for sour cream and swapped plain milk for buttermilk. I also elected to use olive oil rather than plain vegetable oil because I thought the flavor of a fruity olive oil would really complement the cornmeal and highlight the subtle sweetness of these muffins. Thankfully, I was right. These muffins are so very delicious. I could not stop eating them, taking a little pinch here and there. I think I'll try to make them a tiny bit healthier next time so that I can eat even more of them!

Cornmeal Olive Oil Muffins

Makes 16 Muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup stone ground yellow cornmeal

3 large eggs at room temperature

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup Greek yogurt, about one small tub

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a muffin tin and four of the cups in a second tin. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and cornmeal in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat in the eggs one at a time, allowing the mixture to combine completely before adding the next egg. Add the milk and the olive oil and beat to combine. Mix in the yogurt, scraping down the sides, until the batter is smooth and cohesive. Using a 1/4 cup ice cream scoop, drop the batter into the prepared muffin tins. Bake for 12 minutes, rotating halfway through, until the muffins are set and the tops are golden brown. Allow the muffins to cool on a wire rack, remove from the tins, and serve with jam and butter or mascarpone.

More Muffin Recipes

Whole Wheat Orange Spice Muffins

Cinnamon Roll Muffins

Strawberry Muffins