Make It Your Own: Cosy Twists on Tasty Cheese Muffins (Plus More Winter Savoury Bakes)
There's a particular joy in a good savoury muffin recipe — something warm, cheesy, and entirely yours. Our Tasty Cheese Muffin Batter is designed to be brilliant straight out of the bag — but it's also a genuinely great base to build on if you're after a bit of variety this winter. Here's how we've been mixing it up at home, plus a few other cosy bakes worth trying while you're in hibernation mode.
Level Up Your Tasty Cheese Batter
The base batter is real cheese, real ingredients, no artificial flavours — which also makes it a great canvas. A few simple additions before baking can completely change the character of the muffin:
Jalapeño Kick
Finely dice one fresh jalapeño (deseeded if you want it milder) and fold through the batter just before spooning into your tray. It adds a gentle warmth that pairs beautifully with the sharpness of the cheese — great with a bowl of soup on a properly cold night.
Ham & Cheese, Levelled Up
Fold through a handful of finely chopped ham for a heartier, more filling muffin — almost a meal in itself. This version is a lunchbox favourite in our house; it holds up well and doesn't need anything else added to feel substantial.
Herb & Spring Onion
A tablespoon of finely sliced spring onion and a pinch of dried or fresh herbs (thyme and chives both work well) brightens the flavour without overpowering the cheese. Good if you want something a little more delicate to serve alongside a soup or salad.
A Note on Add-Ins
Keep additions relatively fine and well-drained — anything too wet (fresh tomato, for example) can affect how the batter bakes. A small handful per batch of 9 is usually the right amount; too much and you risk the muffins not holding together as well.
More Cosy Winter Savoury Bakes to Try
If you're after more than muffins, here are a few other savoury bakes worth having in the winter rotation:
Cheese & Herb Scones
Classic, quick, and endlessly adaptable. A basic scone dough with grated tasty cheese and chopped herbs folded through, brushed with a little milk before baking — ready in well under 30 minutes and best eaten warm, split with butter.
Savoury Pull-Apart Bread
A simple enriched dough, portioned into balls, layered with grated cheese and herbs, and baked together in a round tin so it pulls apart into cheesy, herby pieces. A great one for sharing — and for using up whatever cheese odds and ends are in the fridge.
Spiced Pumpkin & Feta Scones
A seasonal twist — roasted pumpkin mashed through a scone dough with crumbled feta and a pinch of cumin or smoked paprika. Earthy, warming, and a nice change from the usual cheese scone.
Bacon & Cheddar Mini Muffins
Similar principle to our Tasty Cheese batter, but home-made from scratch with crispy bacon folded through — a good project if you're after a from-scratch weekend bake rather than a quick weeknight one.
Why We Love a Good Savoury Bake in Winter
Sweet treats get plenty of attention, but a warm savoury bake does something a biscuit or slice can't — it works as breakfast, lunchbox filler, afternoon snack, or a side to soup, all at once. In winter especially, having something warm, filling, and not overly sweet on hand makes a real difference to the week.
If you'd rather skip the mixing altogether, our Tasty Cheese Muffin Batter is ready to go from freezer to oven in about 30 minutes — and now you've got a few ideas for making it your own.
Available now at Farro Fresh, or online at homemadebaker.co.nz.
Stay warm out there. 🧡