Pancake and Sausage Muffins

Here’s what you need to know if you ever send me a recipe request:  I do get around to it eventually.  I don’t even remember WHO emailed this idea to me, but I do know that it was MONTHS ago.  It went on my list…the long, long list of reader recipe requests, post ideas, questions to be answered.  But see, lookie…here it is!  I finally got a round tuit!

The original suggestion (from the reader who shall remain nameless, not in an effort to protect her privacy, but because I have misplaced the note with her name) was to use this Corn Dog Muffin idea, but do a breakfast Pancake – Sausage Muffin instead.  Brilliant!!!  After experimenting and making these last week and watching my family devour them in about five minutes, I did have to ask myself why I took so long trying this idea.

Now, we don’t do much pork at our house, but I do have this killer turkey sausage recipe .  I make it up in big quadrupal (or more!) batches, cook  it up, then freeze it until we’re ready to eat it.  Having cooked turkey sausage on hand for recipes like this one is a huge life saver!!  So easy!  If you choose, you could use sausage links instead, making the muffins like these Corn Dog Muffins.  Instead, I just stirred cooked turkey sausage right into the batter:

Pancake-Sausage Muffins

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 cups milk or buttermilk
2 eggs
1/3 cup melted butter
1/2 pound cooked turkey sausage (or nine sausage links, cut in half)
Real grade B maple syrup

If you want to soak your flour overnight to break down the phytates to aid in digestion, mix the flour and cultured buttermilk in a glass bowl, cover and let it sit on your countertop for 12 hours or so.  The next morning, mix the remaining ingredients in and bake as directed below.

If you don’t soak the flour ahead of time:  Mix dry ingredients together.  Add milk or buttermilk, eggs and melted butter.  Stir in browned turkey sausage.

Pour batter into 18 buttered muffin tins.  (I don’t recommend paper muffin liners for this as it will stick.)  Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until the muffins are lightly browned.  Serve with a lovely drizzle of maple syrup!

This is a great recipe to bake up ahead of time, freeze, then pull out and rewarm in the oven or toaster oven at breakfast time! 

Now, don’t wait months to try this like I did.  This recipe is SO easy and my whole family LOVED them!!  You can never have too many easy breakfast recipes!