Soured cream, cheddar and chive muffins

I have just bought a new baking cookbook (yay!) by love food - the same company that produced my comfort food cookbook shown in my post on spaghetti alla carbonara. I can't find a link for this new book online, but I got it in Debenhams for only £2.50 (half off!) and it seems really good so far, with different sections for cakes, small bites, desserts, baking with yeast and savoury nibbles. I couldn't wait to try something out and these muffins looked delicious. They were really quick and easy to make, but be careful because like with all savoury muffins, they do go quite dry the next day after baking them. They taste best warm out the oven either on their own or spread with butter for extra flavour, so make sure you bake them in the morning for lunch, a buffet, or a picnic. Having said that, you can heat them in the microwave up to a few days after baking to warm them through and retain some of the moisture - they were just as yummy when I did this!

For 12 muffins
Ingredients:
- 280g plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 25g cheddar cheese, grated (although I would recommend using more for a stronger flavour)
- 35g fresh chives, finely snipped, plus extra to garnish
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 200ml soured cream
- 100ml plain unsweetened yogurt
- 4tbsp butter, melted (I used unsalted, but I would recommend using salted for more flavour - or just add a pinch of salt instead)
1. Line a muffin tin with 12 muffin cases. Sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda into a large bowl. Add the cheese and chives and mix together well.

2. In a separate bowl, mix the egg, soured cream, yogurt and melted butter together. Add this mixture to the flour mixture and gently stir together until combined. Do not over-stir the batter - it doesn't matter if it is a bit lumpy.


3. Divide the muffin batter evenly between the 12 muffin cases - they should be about two-thirds full. Sprinkle over the remaining snipped chives to garnish and transfer to a preheated oven; 200 degrees/gas mark 6. Bake for 20 minutes or until risen and golden. Remove the muffins from the oven and serve warm, or place on a wire rack to cool.

Enjoy :)