🧄🧀 Garlic Herb Cheese Muffins

Makes: 10–12 muffins
Prep: 15 min | Bake: 20–25 min

Ingredients

Dry

• 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¾ tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp dried Italian herbs

Cheesy garlic mixture

• 1 cup (100 g) shredded mozzarella
• ½ cup (50 g) shredded Parmesan
• 3–4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh chives or green onion, chopped
• ½ tsp dried oregano

Wet

• 2 large eggs
• ¾ cup (180 ml) buttermilk
• ½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 2 tbsp sour cream or Greek yogurt

For the buttery garlic topping

• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley
• 2 tbsp Parmesan

Method

1. Heat oven to 400°F / 200°C. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin generously, or use sturdy muffin liners.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pepper and Italian herbs.
3. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, buttermilk, melted butter and sour cream until smooth.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Fold gently—don’t overmix. A few lumps are perfectly fine.
5. Fold in the mozzarella, Parmesan, garlic, parsley and chives. The batter should be thick and chunky.
6. Divide into the muffin cups, filling them almost to the top. This gives you those big, rustic tops like in the picture.
7. Bake at 400°F / 200°C for 5 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 375°F / 190°C and bake another 15–20 minutes, until deeply golden and a toothpick comes out mostly clean.
8. Mix the melted butter, garlic and parsley. Brush the hot muffins immediately after removing them from the oven, then sprinkle with Parmesan.
9. Let them sit for 5–10 minutes before eating.

⭐ The secrets to getting them like the photo

• Don’t overmix — that’s the key to a soft, fluffy interior.
• Use mozzarella + Parmesan rather than just one cheese.
• Fill the cups generously for those large domed tops.
• The initial 5-minute high-temperature bake helps create the beautiful rise.
• Don’t skip the garlic-butter topping. It gives the crust that glossy, intensely savory finish.
• For an even cheesier center, hide a small cube of mozzarella in the middle of each muffin before baking.