Muffins Florentine

These Muffins Florentine are an amazing savory treat. They are loaded with spinach, mozzarella, and pesto. 

While we normally think of muffins as something sweet, they can also be pretty darn tasty as a savory treat. For example, these Muffins Florentine.

And they are green! You are are clearly getting your daily dose of leafy greens in a muffin!

I'm sure you're wondering, "Why are you calling them muffins Florentine instead of Florentine muffins?"

I'm being fancy.  Have you heard of Fish Florentine? Just like that.

These muffins are perfect with soups and salads, and served with brunch. The flavors are so interesting with the spinach and cheese. Then there's the addition of pesto, which just puts them over the top. Way over the top.

Originally, I was going to make these muffins with just the spinach and cheese, and without pesto. Then I found a fabulous pesto in an Italian deli that fit the bill perfectly. It contains Gorgonzola, basil, olive oil, parsley, and pine nuts.

I am so glad I stirred in the pesto because it brought these muffins to a whole new level. Seriously. If you don't have an Italian deli nearby, I've included a pesto recipe at the end, which is very similar to what I used.

These muffins are wonderful warm from the oven as well as served at room temperature. If you'd like to reheat them, just wrap them individually in paper towels and heat them in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds.

These muffins were such a win in our house, that Mr. Kitchen, normally skeptical of my kitchen experiments, chose to have two of these in one day. He also declared them "delicious" on the same weekend that I made mashed potato and kale colcannon, one of his favorite foods ever.

After the recipe, be sure to check out the rest of the Muffin Monday recipes!

Muffins Florentine Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups (15 ounces) unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 3 large eggs
• 2/3 cups olive oil
• 1 cup milk
• 1 10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed to remove as much moisture as possible
• 1/2 cup of prepared pesto (see recipe below)
• 4 ounces whole milk low moisture mozzarella cheese, shredded

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and spray a 12 cup muffin pan with spray oil.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. Whisk in the olive oil, and milk. Stir in the spinach.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and stir them in until just combined.
5. Add the pesto and mozzarella and fold until just combined.
6. Scoop the batter into the muffin tin, filling each cavity to the top.
7. Bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. 
8. Let the muffins cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes, Remove the muffins from the pan and cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

Yield: 12 muffins

To make your own pesto, combine 1 to 2 garlic cloves, 1/4 cup pine nuts, 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil, 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh parsley in a mini food processor, and pulse until just combined. With the food processor running, slowly add 1/2 cup of olive oil to create a paste. Add 1/4 cup of grated Gorgonzola cheese and 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese. Pulse just to incorporate. Add salt to taste. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Recipe adapted from Williams Sonoma Muffins, by Beth Hensperger, a book I've had forever. The book, published in 2003, is out of print. Visit Beth Hesperger's Amazon page for all of her amazing books.

More #MuffinMonday goodness:

• Apricot Pistachio Matcha Muffins by Farm Fresh Feasts
• Blueberry Buttermilk Muffins by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Cherry Chocolate Muffins by Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Garlic Onion Muffins by Passion Kneaded
• Muffins Florentine by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Strawberry Yogurt Muffins by Food Lust People Love

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all our of lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board.

Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday, can be found on our home page.