What if you could invest 20 minutes of active cooking time to have a healthy, satisfying breakfast ready in 60 seconds or less for the next 3 days? Ham and Cheese Buttermilk Breakfast Muffins from Jim Romanoff of the Associated Press is a recipe that allows you do to just that. I made these easy, savory muffins on Saturday morning and we’ve been enjoying them since.
First, I prepped my ham and veggies. I thinly sliced 1 bunch of scallions to yield 3/4 cup (the recipe called for 1 cup), diced half of a red bell pepper to yield 1/2 cup, and diced 6 ounces of sliced ham to yield 1 cup. Next, I prepped my muffin pan by spraying it with cooking spray. (I used a silicone muffin pan for easy release, but any old muffin pan is fine. You can use liners as well, if you want.)
In a large bowl, I whisked together 3 cups of flour, 2 1/4 teaspoons of baking powder (the recipe actually calls for 1 tablespoon, but I adjusted for altitude), 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
In a medium bowl, I whisked together 2 large eggs, 1 1/3 cups of buttermilk, 2 tablespoons of canola oil, and 3 tablespoons of melted butter. I stirred in the prepared ham, scallions, and red pepper along with 1 cup of grated sharp cheddar cheese.
To form the batter, I added the wet ingredients to the dry and mixed with a rubber spatula just until everything was combined. (Don’t overmix.) I used an ice cream scoop to transfer the batter to my prepared muffin pan; 1 heaping scoop per muffin cup was just about right. (The cups were very full.)
I baked the muffins at 400F until the tops were browned. The recipe said 20 – 25 minutes; at Denver’s altitude, I got the results I wanted in 28 minutes. I let the muffins cool in the pan for 15 minutes, turned them out, and served them warm.
Mmmm. These were seriously good. The muffin itself was moist and fluffy with great density, and I loved the chunky texture of the ham and pepper pieces. The scallions and cayenne pepper added the perfect amount of zing. I did feel like they could be a bit saltier, so I think I’ll double the salt to 1/2 teaspoon next time instead of 1/4 teaspoon.
The recipe made 12 muffins, which is far more than Dr. O and I can eat on our own. I wrapped each muffin individually in plastic wrap and placed the leftovers in the refrigerator. (They’ll keep for 3 days.) As promised, these warmed up beautifully in the microwave… Each muffin just needs 30 seconds on high to be back to warm, moist, and delicious.
TIPS: I always ask my deli guy or gal to slice my meats thick when I need them for dicing. The person behind the counter usually has *some* idea of how thick a slice should be to yield the amount I need (though I never expect them to get it exactly right!).
Also, if you have a silicone muffin pan and you choose to use it, remember to put it on a baking sheet for support before you put it in the oven.
Recipe link: Ham and Cheese Buttermilk Breakfast Muffins (inactive)
Update 8/23/12: The recipe is no longer published on the Dallas Morning News website. I’ve written it out in a separate post (and mine isn’t going anywhere!); click here to visit.
Sweet and Saucy 
Made these this weekend and substituted 1 cup of whole wheat flour in the 3 total cups of flour. As a result the muffins probably needed a little more buttermilk, butter, oil and/or egg. I also agree that they could use more salt. However, they were easy and delicious, and despite my doubts, they did pop right out of my non-stick metal muffin pan once they had cooled for 15 minutes.
Well would you believe it? It’s the first time I’ve seen a comment about a recipe being amended for high altitude. I also live at high altitude, Johannesburg in South Africa, so I’m certainly going to try these. Ta – I won’t have to automatically amend the recipe, as I usually do.
Regards
Sue White
I live in Ecuador and thought the same thing. 🙂
I made these for dinner tonight, because I like breakfast for dinner, and YUM! I swapped bacon, cooked to a crisp and chopped up, for the ham (I thought it might entice my kids to eat them…but they are picky and the red pepper scared them off). I also upped the salt as suggested and went with 1 T. baking powder because I’m at sea level. This recipe’s a keeper! Thanks!
So good! Just made these for a ladies’ breakfast in the morning (will warm and serve then)…thanks for the recipe!
The link no longer goes to the recipe. Do you have a copy that you can share?
Hi, Emily! Thanks so much for letting me know. I wrote out the recipe in a separate post in 2010 and have now included a link to that post at the bottom of this one. (Since I know my post isn’t going anywhere, I figured that was a better bet than an external link.) Hope that helps!
Jakie pyszne babeczki,w najbliższym czasie skorzystam z tego przepisu:)ale dodam suszone pomidory bo akurat w Lidlu jest na nie promocja a bardzo ja lubię w bułeczkach będą rewelacyjnie 🙂
Do these freeze well?
Hi, Cate! I’ve never frozen them, but my guess would be yes. I’d probably thaw them overnight in the refrigerator before reheating them. Let me know if you give it a try!
These sound fabulous. 🙂 Now that the weather’s getting cold, I definitely plan to make this recipe! Perfect for weekend munchies.