Bacon-Cheddar Corn Muffins

I followed Cooking Light's recipe and used shredded cheese, but next time I'm going to make these muffins as I describe below (with cheese cubes) in hopes that there will be little cheese nuggets in them. :) We had these as a side with the Shrimp Cobb Salad, and the flavors really went well together.

Yield: 12 servings (serving size: 1 muffin)

Total: 40 Minutes 

Ingredients:

• 4 1/2 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
• 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) sharp cheddar cheese, cut into cm cubes
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 center-cut bacon slices, cooked, drained, and crumbled 
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced (we like spicy, so use half the seeds)
• 1 1/4 cups low-fat buttermilk
• 1/4 cup canola oil 
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• 1 large egg, lightly beaten 
• Cooking spray

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 7 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Stir in bacon and jalapeño; make a well in center of mixture. Combine buttermilk, oil, and egg in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.
3. Place 12 muffin-cup liners in muffin cups; coat with cooking spray. Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in pan on a wire rack.

Nutritional Information:

• Calories: 160
• Fat: 7.9g
• Saturated fat: 2g
• Monounsaturated fat: 3.3g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 1.6g
• Protein: 4.8g
• Carbohydrate: 17.7g
• Fiber: 0.9g
• Cholesterol: 23mg
• Iron: 0.9mg
• Sodium: 299mg
• Calcium: 89mg