Gluten-free sour cream cheddar cheese muffins

These camera-ready gluten-free sour cream cheddar muffins have a secret ingredient to wow your family and friends with your mad baking skills.

Moist and flavorful gluten-free muffins are always a welcome addition to the breakfast or brunch table. But you already knew that. What you might not know, though, is that they can be a secret weapon or that these gluten-free cheddar muffins have a secret ingredient. And you’re in luck. I’ve got loose lips, so these particular secrets are not safe with me.

Super soft and moist muffins made with sour cream like these freeze perfectly, making them a secret weapon as a shortcut to fresh-tasting gluten-free muffins any time.

The secret ingredient? Smoked Spanish paprika. It’s a spice that’s a bit on the expensive side, but a little goes a very long way. Plus, it’s the healthy way to give cheesy muffins or crackers that special depth of flavor and color that you taste and see in those conventional, gluten-containing packaged products we all remember so fondly. It’s an optional ingredient, so if you just can’t wait to get started on these muffins and you don’t have smoked Spanish paprika in the house, don’t let that stop you. And remember to stash a few of these muffins in the freezer. Just defrost them overnight in the refrigerator and refresh them for a few minutes in the toaster, and they’ll taste freshly baked!

Gluten-free sour cream cheddar cheese muffins recipe

Yields 14 muffins

Ingredients:

• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour (use your favorite, or my go-to blend: 15-1/2 tablespoons superfine brown or white rice flour plus 8 tablespoons tapioca flour/starch plus 4 tablespoons potato starch)
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika (optional)
• 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 eggs at room temperature, beaten
• 1 cup sour cream, at room temperature

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or line a standard 12-cup muffin tin and set it aside.
2. In a large bowl, place the flour blend, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt and the optional paprika, and whisk to combine well. Toss the shredded cheddar cheese with 1 teaspoon of the dry ingredients to help keep the cheese from clumping together in the muffin batter. Set the cheese aside. To the dry ingredients, add the butter, eggs and sour cream, and mix to combine. The batter will begin to come together and will be thick. Add the shredded cheese, and mix until the cheese is distributed throughout the muffin batter.
3. Fill the prepared muffin cups 3/4 full with the batter. For perfectly portioned muffins, fill the muffin cups with a large ice cream scoop with 3 tablespoon capacity. With wet fingers, smooth the tops of the muffins so that no bits of batter are sticking up or those bits will burn.
4. Place the muffin tin in the center of the preheated oven and bake, rotating once, for about 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffins comes out clean (or with only some melted cheese attached).
5. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the muffins to cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before serving warm or at room temperature.

More gluten-free recipes

Gluten-free peanut butter chocolate chip blondies
Gluten-free baking flour blend
Gluten-free soft frosted sugar cookies