Cheddar Muffins — The Ones That Rose Perfectly and Made Me Cry

September 2020. Senior year of my bachelor degree. I am twenty-one years old and I am in my final year of a four-year university degree. I did not know any of this was possible at eighteen. I barely believed it at twenty. At twenty-one, it is just what is happening, which is the most satisfying sentence I can write.

Fall classes have a different quality than the other semesters. My professors treat me as someone about to leave, which means they treat me as someone they want to prepare for what is next. Dr. Ochoa has been meeting with me weekly to work on the second research paper and also to help me think about graduate school. I got an email from the fellowship program requesting an interview. I will interview in October.

I have been back inside Gloria kitchen since late August. When the numbers went down and the guidance changed and she said come in, I came in. The first Sunday I walked through that door and stood in that kitchen and she was standing at the stove and I just put my arms around her from behind while she stirred something and we stayed like that for a moment. She did not say anything. Neither did I. After a moment she said: the greens need turning. I let her go and turned the greens. That was exactly the right thing to do.

James shook my hand when I came in, formal, which is one of his ways of showing something large. He said: good to have you back in the house. I said: good to be back. I made biscuits that day and they rose perfectly and I ate three of them warm with butter and cried a little in the bathroom because I could not help it. Back in the kitchen. Back at the table. This is the most fundamental safety I know.

The biscuits I made that first Sunday back were plain — just flour, butter, and buttermilk — but they meant everything. These Cheddar Muffins are what I make now when I want that same feeling with a little more to give: the sharp bite of cheddar, a golden top, something warm enough to eat with butter right out of the pan. If you have ever stood in someone’s kitchen and known, without words, that you were exactly where you were supposed to be, bake these and you’ll understand what I was trying to hold onto.

Cheddar Muffins

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 18 minutes | Total Time: 28 minutes | Servings: 12 muffins

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat. Heat your oven to 400°F. Grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin or line with paper liners.
2. Combine dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper until evenly combined.
3. Add cheese. Stir 1 1/4 cups of the shredded cheddar into the dry mixture, reserving the remaining 1/4 cup for topping.
4. Mix wet ingredients. In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk, melted butter, and eggs until smooth.
5. Fold together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold gently with a spatula until just combined — do not overmix. A few streaks of flour are fine. Fold in chives if using.
6. Fill and top. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Sprinkle the reserved cheddar over the tops.
7. Bake. Bake for 16–18 minutes, until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Cool briefly and serve. Let the muffins rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm with butter.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 198 | Protein: 7g | Fat: 10g | Carbs: 20g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 310mg