Feta, Sun-dried Tomato & Herb Mini-Muffins

A friend from work had made savoury muffins a few months ago as a mid-morning treat for us. I had never tried savoury muffins before, and needless to say they were something I just simply had to try out on my own... After a couple of not-so-sucessful attempts (disasters), I finally got them right today... Made two batches, just to be doubly sure :) And now I have lots of little muffins to pack up and take to work!

* Note: These tend to be on the saltier side, as cheddar and feta both are very salty cheeses. So check the batter before you add any...

This recipe makes about 24 mini-muffins.

Ingredients:
- 1 cup plain Flour (maida)
- 1 tbsp Baking powder
- 1 tbsp Black pepper, cracked
- 1/4 tsp Salt (optional)
- 1 tbsp Dried herbs (thyme+oregano etc)
- 1/2 cup Feta cheese, crumbled
- 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, grated
- 1/2 cup Sun-dried Tomatoes in oil
- 1 long red Chilli, chopped
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin Olive oil 
- 1 egg, beaten with + 1/4 cup water

Method:
1.) Pre-heat the Oven to 200 deg C.

2.) Sift together the flour and baking powder together in a large mixing bowl. Add the salt, cracked black pepper, dried herbs, crumbled feta, grated cheddar, chopped sun-dried tomatoes and chopped chilli. Mix gently with a rubber spatula and set aside.

3.) Beat the egg with a fork till light and fluffy. Add the water and oil and stir-in to integrate. Make a 'well' in the flour and pour the egg mixture into the flour gently and stir in with the spatula / wooden spoon to form a thick batter.

4.) Line a muffin tray with paper cups. Spoon the batter into the paper cups till 3/4th full and bake @ 200 deg C for about 16-17 mins, till the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the muffin comes out clean.

5.) Cool the muffins on a wire rack. Eat up!

What I loved about these is that the outside of the muffins are crusty/ crumbly and soft- and bread-like on the inside. The little bits of feta and sun-dried tomato make them just irresistable! :) I think these would be great as appetizers for a dinner party or even as a mid-day snack :)