these muffins are great with any southwestern-leaning dish, but are the most perfect when paired with chili. they have become my go-to, over cornbread. the Mr loves to crumble them right over the top of a large, steaming bowl of said chili, or he’ll spread a little butter on the inside of a warm muffin and have a few for lunch on a rainy saturday.

adapted from an old issue of cooking light magazine, so they’re basically a super food.

cheddar-green onion buttermilk muffins
makes 24 muffins

ingredients
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

2 tsp baking powder

1 1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup plus 1/2 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese, divided

6 tbsp cold butter, cut into pieces

2 1/2 cups buttermilk

1/4 cup chopped green onions

2 tsp minced garlic (about 4 cloves)

2 eggs, lightly beaten

cooking spray or paper muffin cups

directions
1. preheat the oven to 375.

2. combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and pepper in a large bowl; whisk to combine. add the butter and cut in with a pastry cutter or large fork, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. add 3/4 cup of the shredded cheese and cut in a bit to combine.

3. in a separate large bowl, combine buttermilk, onions, garlic, and egg; stir with a whisk. add to flour mixture, stirring with a spatula just until moist.

4. spoon batter into two 12-cup muffin pans coated with cooking spray or paper cups, about 3/4 full each. sprinkle each muffin evenly with a generous pinch of the remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese. bake for 16 minutes or so, until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. best served warm.