Easter and country ham go hand in hand to me. Whether it’s a large piece of ham for slicing, or sandwiched into biscuits or added to stuffed eggs. I pretty much always include it on the buffet. And of course, I pimento cheese anything. So these fun little muffin sliders are a delicious way to combine my favorite things. Moist cornmeal muffins flavored with cheddar cheese and pimentos have a nifty little ham surprise tucked into the center for an all-in-one bite. Put these in a basket next to an egg casserole and a plate of asparagus for a lovely Easter meal.
I buy packets of thin biscuit slices for these muffins, then cut them with scissors into small squares that will nicely fit in the center of the muffins. These are best served freshly made warm from the oven, but you can make them a few hours early and reheat. Alternately, you can cut the ham, grate the cheese, mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and the liquids in a measuring cup. Cover the bowl and keep the other ingredients in the fridge, then simply stir it all up and assemble in the morning to bake fresh.
Ingredients
3 slices biscuit cut country ham
1 cup cornmeal
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¾ cup buttermilk
¼ cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
4 ounces cheddar cheese, grated (1 cup grated)
1 (2-ounce) jar diced pimentos, drained
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.
- Cut the country ham into small pieces that will fit in the center of the muffin tins.
- Put the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and stir to combine. Add the buttermilk, cooled butter and eggs and stir well to combine completely. Add the grated cheese and pimentos and stir to evenly distribute.
- Divide half of the batter evenly between the muffin cups, pressing down with the back of a spoon to fill the cups. Place 3 pieces of cut country ham in the center of each muffin. Spoon over the rest of the batter and spread it to cover the ham. Bake for 20 minutes until the tops are golden brown and the muffins are firm.
- Serve warm. If you make these a few hours ahead, reheat them in the muffin pan in a low oven before serving.
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