These muffins are a warm hug on a cool day. They are soft flannel shirts and cozy wool sweaters. They are apple picking and hay rides, carved pumpkins, and brightly colored leaves. Basically, these muffins are fall. The warm spices and melty cheese make this a versatile treat, perfect for toasting and slathering with butter in the morning, bringing to an afternoon picnic, or baking up for dinner with roasted pork chops glazed in maple syrup and sprinkled with red pepper flakes. Whenever we eat these muffins, they are just another reminder why we love fall!

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 cup whole wheat flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon salt*

• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper (divided into 2 x 1/4 tsp)

• 2 cups grated butternut squash

• 3/4 pound Wilde Weide*

• 2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano*

• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk

• 10 tablespoons butter, melted*

• 2 large eggs

• 1/3 cup brown sugar

• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt

  Items with an asterisk can be found at The Cheese Shop of Salem.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line muffin tin with paper liners

2. In a medium size bowl, whisk together both flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon of the black pepper.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, melted butter, eggs, brown sugar and labneh until mixture is smooth.

4. On the large holes of a box grater, grate the cheese until you have 2 cups.  Grate the remaining cheese on the fine wholes.

5. Add the wet ingredients into the dry and gently stir until incorporated.  Add in the grated squash and 2 cups of coarsely grated cheese, stir to combine. 

6. In a small bowl combine the finely grated cheese (about 1/3 cup), 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and 2 tablespoons grated Parm.

7. Scoop the batter into the muffin cups, filling to the top.  Sprinkle about a teaspoon of the grated cheese mix on top of each muffin.  Bake 20 minutes, or until golden brown and cake tester comes out clean.  Remove from oven, and after 10 minutes turn muffins out onto  a cooling rack.  Can make ahead and stored in the freezer.  Take out the night before and/or rewarmed in a low temperature oven to serve. 

Yield:  18 muffins