Pizza Muffins

 

These pizza muffins definitely taste best served warm. Those of us who tasted them warm at home really liked them! The Little Prince had them for lunch at school (his lunchbox has a built-in cooler, though things are obviously no longer freezing cold by lunch time) and he wasn’t fond of them. I’d recommend warming them up and putting them in a wide, warm thermos to pack them for school. Live and learn. 

Note that I used 2 cups of white whole wheat flour. Also, since I don’t have pizza seasoning, I replaced it with my own mix of spices below. 

1 cup all-purpose flour 

1 cup whole-wheat flour 

1 tsp. baking powder 

½ tsp. baking soda 

½ tsp. teaspoon salt 

½ tsp. garlic powder 

½ tsp. onion powder 

½ tsp. dried basil 

½ tsp. dried oregano 

1 ½ cups lactose-free milk 

1 cup grated carrot 

1 cup lactose-free shredded mozzarella cheese 

¼ cup lactose-free grated Parmesan cheese 

¼ cup melted and slightly cooled lactose-free butter or neutral oil 

¼ cup diced pepperoni, plus 2 Tbsp. (optional) 

2 eggs, lightly beaten 

Preheat the oven to 375 °F and grease a standard muffin tin well. 

In a small bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside. 

In a large bowl, stir together the milk, carrot, cheeses, butter, pepperoni (reserving the 2 tablespoons), and egg. Stir in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. 

Divide batter among the prepared muffin tin. Top each with reserved pepperoni. 

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until lightly golden brown around the edges and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out cleanly. (There may be some melted cheese on it though!) 

Let cool in the pan for 2-5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. You may need to use a paring knife around the edges of the muffins to help remove them from the pan. 

Serve slightly warm.