This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy for more info.
There is something quite comforting about pulling a warm, savory muffins out of the oven—especially ones that are bursting with the flavor of fresh garden basil, sharp Romano cheese and aromatic garlic cloves. These savory pesto inspired muffins are a satisfying substitute for garlic bread or dinner rolls and pair well with Italian dishes such as minestrone soup, lasagna, and eggplant Parmesan.
These muffins are made with King Arthur 00 pizza flour which has a much higher fiber and gluten content than all purpose flour. They rise beautifully and have a tender texture. The secret? The natural acid in the plain, non-fat yogurt loosens the gluten bonds in the King Arthur 00 flour, giving the muffins a light crumb. Your family or guests will never know you didn’t use all purpose flour.
Please see the recipe card below for exact amounts and directions.
Ingredient Round Up
- Fresh basil leaves
- Garlic cloves
- Grated Romano or Parmesan cheese – I used Romano.
- King Arthur 00 flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Egg whites
- Plain non-fat. yogurt
- Water
Making the Muffins
- Wash and dry the basil leaves. Place in a food processor along with the garlic cloves and Romano cheese. Pulse until the basil and garlic cloves are finely chopped. The final mixture will look like coarse crumbs.
- Place the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and basil, garlic and cheese mixture into a bowl.
- Use a fork or combine all the dry ingredients together.
- Add the egg whites, plain non fat yogurt and water to the dry ingredients.
- Mix the dry and wet ingredients until you have a uniform muffin batter.
- Use a large cookie scooper and place a scoopful of batter into foil lined cupcake wells. Place the cupcake tins in the oven.
- Bake the muffins until the top springs back when lightly pressed or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove the cupcakes from the oven. Let sit briefly and then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool.
- You can serve them warm or at room temperature. Refrigerate or freeze leftovers.
Serving Ideas
- Basil, garlic, Romano muffins pair well with a hot bowl of tomato, minestrone soup or Italian wedding soup.
- These muffins are a welcome addition to a entrée garden or Caesar salad.
- Instead of calorie laden garlic bread serve these savory muffins with lasagna, eggplant Parmesan or simple pasta dishes. They also work well with proteins such as grilled chicken, salmon, Italian sausage, and the list goes on.
- For parties, you can add them to charcuterie boards along with cured meats, cheeses and olives.
- A basket of savory basil, garlic and Romano work well on a brunch buffet with egg dishes.
- And lastly, one of these warm muffins spread with butter or a wedge of laughing cow cheese with a cup of hot coffee or tea is a tasty mid- morning or afternoon snack.
WW 1 pt per muffin, 3 pt per 2 muffins with King Arthur 00 flour
2 pt per muffin, 5 pt per 2 muffin with All Purpose flour
Servings: 15
Calories: 81.4kcal
Equipment
- cupcake tins
- foil cupcake liners
- mini food processor
- mixing bowl
- measuring cups and spoons
- spatula
- Wooden spoon
- cooling rack
Ingredients
- 2½ c King Arthur 00 pizza flour
- ½ c plain non fat yogurt
- 5 egg whites OR 3 whole eggs
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 6½ g fresh basil leave
- 3 tbsp grated Romano cheese, Parmesan can be used instead.
- 2 large cloves of garlic, use 3 if small or medium
- ¾ c water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉.
- Place foil liners into 15 cupcake wells in cupcake tins.
- Rinse and dry the fresh basil leaves.
- Place the fresh basil leaves, garlic cloves and Romano cheese into the bowl of a mini food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles course crumbs.
- Place the King Arthur 00 flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and basil, garlic & Romano mixture into a mixing bowl. Use a fork or wooden spoon to combine the dry ingredients together.
- Add the egg whites, yogurt and water to the dry ingredients. Use a wooden spoon or whisk to combine the dry and wet ingredients together until you have a uniform batter.
- Use a large cookie scooper and place a scoop of muffin batter into each foil lined cupcake well in the tins. There should be enough batter to fill 15 cupcake wells.
- Place the muffins into the oven and bake at 350℉ for 20-22 min. I checked them at 19 min. and cooked them an additional 2 min. They are done when the top springs back when lightly pressed or a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Remove the muffins from the oven when done. Allow them to sit in the tins for 5-10 min. Transfer them to a cooling rack and allow them to cool to room temperature
- You can serve them warm or at room temperature. Refrigerate or freeze thoroughly cooled leftover muffins for later use. They are good plain or spread with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light or a similar spread.
Notes
You can use Romano or Parmesan cheese. I prefer the more robust flavor of Romano.
I use egg whites because the hubby is a cardiac patient. You can substitute 3 whole eggs for the 5 egg whites if cholesterol is not an issue for you.
I prefer plain non-fat yogurt but you ca use Greek yogurt instead. If your batter is a tad too thick with the Greek yogurt just add more water a tbsp at a time until you have a batter consistency.
You can use all purpose flour in stead of the King Arthur 00 pizza flour but it will increase the points per muffin. 2.5 c of King Arthur 00 flour is 20 pt vs. 32 pt for all purpose flour.
Nutrition
Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 81.4kcal | Carbohydrates: 14.8g | Protein: 3.9g | Fat: 0.7g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Sodium: 276mg | Fiber: 2.7g | Sugar: 0.8g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
