Sun-dried Tomato and Basil Muffin
intro
Tender, savory quick-bread muffins bursting with umami sun-dried tomatoes, fragrant fresh basil, and nutty parmesan, ideal for portable meals and snacks.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep oven and muffin tin
Preheat your oven to 190°C (375°F) with a rack positioned in the middle. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners, or grease each cup lightly with 1 teaspoon of softened butter to prevent sticking.
Combine dry ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 240g all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper for 30 seconds until fully evenly combined, with no clumps of baking powder remaining.
Add savory mix-ins
Add the 85g drained, finely chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, 15g finely chopped fresh basil, 50g grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, and 40g shredded low-moisture mozzarella to the dry flour mixture. Toss gently with a spatula for 20 seconds until all add-ins are evenly coated in flour, which prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins while baking.
Mix wet ingredients
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together 2 lightly beaten room-temperature large eggs, 240ml room-temperature whole milk, and 57g cooled melted unsalted butter for 20 seconds until the mixture is smooth, with no streaks of separated butter visible; ensure butter is below 50°C (120°F) to avoid cooking the eggs.
Fold muffin batter
Pour the entire wet ingredient mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients and mix-ins. Use a silicone spatula to fold the ingredients together for no more than 15 seconds, stopping as soon as no dry flour patches remain; the batter will be lumpy, and overmixing will result in tough, dense muffins. Divide the batter evenly between the 12 prepared muffin cups, filling each cup ⅔ full.
Bake and cool muffins
Place the muffin tin on the middle oven rack and bake for 20 to 22 minutes, until the muffin tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a middle muffin comes out with 1 to 2 moist crumbs attached (no wet batter). Remove the tin from the oven, let muffins rest in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool for 10 more minutes before serving.
Tips
2.Pat drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes lightly with a paper towel before chopping to remove excess surface oil, which can make the batter greasy and prevent even rising during baking.
3.For an extra salty, crispy cheese top, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of finely grated parmesan evenly over the filled muffin cups right before sliding the tin into the oven.
OMG these are SO good! I threw these together last night for school breakfasts this week and my kids devoured the first batch before I even finished packing lunch boxes. 40 minutes total is totally doable on a weeknight, too. 10/10 will be making again for our next soccer snack sign up!
Super easy recipe, came together with stuff I already had in the pantry. I tossed in a little crumbled feta I had leftover from Greek night and it slapped. Perfect side for the tomato basil soup I made for dinner last night.
Made these for my weekend brunch with the girls and they were a total game changer! Pair so well with mimosas, and I didn’t have to spend all morning in the kitchen since they’re so low effort. Only note: I blotted my oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes on a paper towel first so they didn’t make the muffins soggy.
These are perfect for trail snacks! I made a batch over the weekend to pack for our day hike at Mount Rainier, they held up great in my pack, were savory and filling, no weird sugary crash like regular sweet muffins. Will be a staple on my hiking meal prep list from now on.
Wait, quick question—can I use dried basil instead of fresh? My grocery store was out of fresh basil when I stopped on my way home from work and I really want to make these tonight!
Brought these to our office potluck yesterday and they were gone in 10 minutes flat. Multiple people came by my desk later to ask where I found the recipe, I felt like a total baking star even though these are literally impossible to mess up. So easy!
As someone who burns toast 50% of the time, I was shocked how well these turned out. No fancy equipment needed, all ingredients are cheap, and I’ve been eating them for breakfast between classes all week. Way better than the overpriced muffins at the campus café.
Has anyone tried making these with gluten-free all purpose flour? I have a gluten sensitivity and would love to make these for our family dinner next week, but I don’t want to waste ingredients if the texture is off.
These are the perfect pairing for literally any fall soup. I’ve made them three times in the last two weeks to go with minestrone, roasted butternut squash, and even chili. The savory sun-dried tomato flavor cuts through rich soups so well. 10/10
Game changer for weekday meal prep! I make a double batch every Sunday, pop them in the freezer, and microwave one for 30 seconds on my way out the door. They taste just as good frozen and reheated as they do fresh out of the oven. Saved me so much money on drive-thru breakfasts!
Okay I know the recipe doesn’t call for it but I added a half cup of shredded sharp cheddar and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes and these were INSANE. 10/10, would recommend the add-in for anyone who likes a little cheesy heat.
Made these with my 7 year old daughter for her school’s bake sale (we did the savory table instead of all cookies) and they were a huge hit. She had so much fun stirring the batter and adding the basil leaves on top. Super easy for kids to help with too!
I keep a stash of these at my desk for when I forget to eat lunch during back to back meetings. They’re filling, not messy, and way better than snacking on chips all day. The 40 minute cook time is totally worth it for a week of easy snacks.
Used fresh basil and sun-dried tomatoes I grew and preserved myself this summer in these and it felt like a little bite of summer on a rainy fall day. The recipe let the fresh flavors shine instead of covering them up with too much extra stuff, which I loved.
Help! My muffins stuck to the paper liners really bad when I made them last night. Did I do something wrong? They tasted amazing but half the muffin was stuck to the paper when I peeled it 😭
Packed these for our cross-country road trip last week and they were the perfect travel snack. No refrigeration needed, not crumbly, and everyone in the car kept reaching for them instead of the candy we brought. Way better than gas station snacks!
I swapped half the all purpose flour for almond flour and cut a little bit of the oil, and these still turned out so fluffy and flavorful. I was worried they’d be dense but they were perfect for my lower carb meal plan. So good!
I run a small weekend brunch pop-up and I added these to the menu last month. They’re one of our top selling items now! People love that they’re savory, not overly sweet, and pair perfectly with our egg dishes. Super easy to scale up for large batches too.
My super picky 4 year old who refuses to eat anything green ate three of these muffins for dinner last night. I didn’t even tell him there was basil in them, he just kept saying ‘mommy these red muffins are SO good.’ Total mom win, I’m never not having these in the house.