Cheesy Muffin Tin Garlic Knots
Take a good garlic knot and make it better…by adding cheese! These Cheesy Muffin Tin Garlic Knots are a fun and tasty snack. They’re sure to become a family favorite!
This Cheesy Muffin Tin Garlic Knots post is sponsored by Cabot Creamery, but the recipe and opinions are entirely my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Spiced!
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Did you know that Chicago gets it’s name from the Native American word “shikaakwa,” meaning ‘skunk’ or ‘stinky onion?’ According to historians, the stinky onion refers not necessarily to onions, but rather to ramps (or wild leeks) that grow along the riverbank in that area. Of course, as with many historical things, there is a great debate on the true origin of ‘Chicago.’ However, the ramp version is widely accepted, so we’re going with that one today. And those ramps? They’re pretty similar to wild garlic. So in a roundabout way, we’ve established a link between Chicago and garlic. Sorta. (Just roll with it. It makes for a fun story if nothing else!)
Cheesy Muffin Tin Garlic Knots
It’s hard to beat a good garlic knot. A buttery, garlicky ball of pizza dough is a thing of beauty! But then I realized the other day that garlic knots don’t involve cheese. Pizza involves cheese. And garlic knots are often made from pizza dough. So therefore garlic knots need cheese, right? Using that as a working hypothesis (hey, we’re really scientific around this house!), I hit the kitchen to figure out how to add cheese to garlic knots. The result? These Cheesy Muffin Tin Garlic Knots.
For these Cheesy Garlic Knots, I knew I wanted to go with a cheese that would melt well. We eat a lot of cheese in our house, so we always keep a wide variety on hand. Cabot’s Pepper Jack was the winner in this case! I find their Pepper Jack to be deliciously creamy with just the right amount of spice. However, if you’re concerned about the spicy factor, then just go with Cabot’s Monterey Jack or even their Muenster instead. All of these are excellent melting cheeses!
Cabot is a co-op owned by 800 farm families throughout New York and New England. A couple months after Laura and I moved up here to New York, we took a weekend drive through Vermont. Our first stop on that trip: the Cabot Creamery. We also stopped at a number of breweries, too. Hey, beer and cheese go well together!
Since that trip 10 years ago, I’ve eaten countless blocks of Cabot cheese, and I’ve even had the chance to meet a couple of the farm families that own Cabot. I took Robbie out to visit a local farm last summer, and he still talks about Renee – the cow he met on that trip. I highly recommend Cabot’s cheeses for both cooking and snacking purposes. (Cabot also makes other dairy products, and their butter as well as their vanilla Greek yogurt are both phenomenal – just FYI!)
Turning back to these Cheesy Garlic Knots, my first attempt involved mixing shredded pepper jack cheese into the dough itself. The resulting knots were delicious…but the cheese seemed to have disappeared. In reality, the cheese melted into the dough – kinda like with this Cheesy Focaccia recipe. I really wanted to see the cheese in these garlic knots, so it was back to the drawing board for me. The second time around, I cubed the cheese instead of shredded it. A couple of small cubes went into the center of each knot. The result? Exactly what I was looking for!
Technically these Cheesy Muffin Tin Garlic Knots aren’t really knots at all. But I’m ok with it. (If you really want knots, then bounce over to this Parmesan Garlic Knots recipe.) I love using a muffin tin to make garlic knots…and cheesecake…and stromboli…and muffins (obvi). If you’ve only ever used your muffin tin for muffins, then break that thing out and bake some garlic knots in it!
Of course, garlic knots aren’t complete without a buttery topping. I brushed these knots with butter + salt + Italian seasonings…and garlic! That’s right. The garlic for these Cheesy Muffin Tin Garlic Knots only gets brushed on it at the end. Trust me, though, these knots are delicious! They make a great snack or appetizer, and I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
Did you bake up a batch of these Cheesy Muffin Tin Garlic Knots? Leave a comment, or better yet snap a photo and tag me (@Spicedblog) and Cabot (@CabotCheese) on Instagram. We’d love to see your version!
Cheesy Muffin Tin Garlic Knots
Ingredients
- 4 oz. Cabot Pepper Jack or Monterey Jack cheese
- 24 oz. pizza dough homemade or store-bought
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 tsp garlic minced
- ¾ tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Spray muffin tin with nonstick spray; set aside.
- Cut cheese into ¼” cubes; set cheese aside.
- Divide the pizza dough into 12 equal pieces (~2 oz. each).
- Cut each piece of dough into 5 pieces. Using a circular motion, roll each piece of dough between countertop and palm of your hand until dough ball becomes tight.
- Place 3 balls of dough into bottom of each muffin cup. Place 2-3 cubes of cheese on top of dough balls. Place 2 remaining balls of dough on top of cheese. Brush tops of dough with olive oil.
- Cover pan and place in a warm location for 1 hour, or until dough has risen ~1” over top of pan. (Tip: For a warm location, I put the pan in my oven with just the oven light on.)
- Once dough has risen, bake at 350°F for 28-30 minutes, or until tops of garlic bread are lightly browned.
- While garlic bread is baking, melt the butter and stir in the Parmesan cheese, minced garlic, Italian seasoning and kosher salt.
- Remove garlic bread from oven and brush with the garlic butter mixture. Serve hot.
Looking for more muffin tin recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
Muffin Tin Loaded Baked Potatoes
Hahaha! I had no idea where the name Chicago comes from. I’m glad they didn’t decide to call it Skunktown! Anyway, I’m all about cheesy carbs so these garlic knots look amazing! I kinda think I could go for a few with my breakfast this morning 🙂
Seriously! Skunktown just doesn’t have the same ring to it. What about garlictown? 🙂 I love garlic, so it logically follows that garlic knots are a favorite around here. And adding cheese? Why didn’t I think about this before!?
I think these garlic knots would go nicely with a plate of spaghetti! Thanks for the Chicago shout-out; the smelly onion story is widely told here.
I was thinking about you when I wrote this post, Jeff. I had never heard about the Chicago + smelly onion connection, but it makes sense. Also, I second your thought about these garlic knots + spaghetti…or really these garlic knots + anything!
David, I truly enjoyed reading about the story behind Chicago’s name – and the next dog I have I’m thinking I need to name him/her “shikaakwa” – don’t you think?
Btw- These sound so delicious- love your addition of cheese to garlic knots – what’s not to love about buttery dough and cheese!
Happy Monday, my upstate NYC friend!
Haha…skikaakwa would be a good dog’s name, but the spelling would be a beast! 🙂 Also, why did it take me this long to realize that adding cheese to garlic knots would make a good thing even better!? Thanks, Shashi!
Bread and cheese has got to be one of my fave things ever so I’m all over this! We order a cheesy bread from a local pizza place, that I love. Next time, I’ll have to give your recipe a go. I’m pretty sure I’d have no problem devouring the whole lot of these. So good! Also, ‘stinky onion’? I had no idea where the name came from so thanks for the little factoids 😉
Oh, I definitely had no trouble devouring a lot of these cheesy garlic knots! The only thing I question was why it took me so long to realize that adding cheese to garlic knots is an amazing combo. And now you can add ‘stinky onion’ to your list of random trivia! Thanks, Dawn!
I can see serving these with a crisp green salad and a bowl of soup. After all, you don’t want anything too heavy so that you can eat more garlic knots. 😂
You make an excellent point, Karen! You don’t want to fill up on anything else – plus, we’re heading into soup season (at least up here in the northeast), so I think your idea is spot on!
I had no idea about the name of Chicago. That’s hilarious!!
Love, love these cheesy, garlicky bread knots, David. Absolutely mouthwatering appetizer or side to a big bowl of spaghetti!
And now you know how Chicago got it’s name… 🙂
Also, these cheesy garlic knots would indeed be great next to a plate of spaghetti. In fact, you and Jeff both mentioned that, and now I’m thinking that’s what I should make for dinner tonight!
Bread, garlic and cheese! Yep, count me in. These are the basic staples in my life 🙂 Love it!!!
Exactly! You can’t ever go wrong combining bread, garlic and cheese. 🙂 Thanks, Kathy!
There’s nothing stinky in this recipe (Sorry – you started it first! Lol), and indeed it’s super aromatic and delicious; not to mention this cheese-buttery situation. In fact, I would have been satisfied with your first attempt cause the cheese melted right into the dough sounds awesome to me!
Haha – I did indeed start the stinky talk. But I agree, this recipe isn’t stinky at all. I mean it’s bread + garlic + cheese. It’s pretty amazing! The first batch with the cheese melted into the dough was indeed delicious…that batch disappeared just as quickly. Thanks, Ben!
these just look so delicious david. i would love a couple right now. sigh… will have to make them myself 🙂
Haha! Yes, you will indeed have to make these yourself, Sherry. I think they would be a bit stale by the time I made my way all the way down there to you. 🙂
What an awesome and delicious way to amp up an already delicious garlic knot. Such an excellent starter.
Thanks so much, Valentina! Now I just need to figure out why I didn’t think about adding cheese to garlic knots sooner – it’s amazing! 🙂
David,
Garlic Pizza bread is a all-time hit with my family. Now with your recipe, these knots will go down a treat and loved the way you have used the muffin tray to bring these cheesy knots. Also hurray to the Chicago story!
I’m with you on the garlic bread pizza, Hasin! It’s so good! These knots are a fun twist on that concept. And it’s pretty cool that you can use a muffin tin to bake these up, too! Thanks so much, my friend!
When I was growing up, Chicago was the “big city” , 4 hours away, but still the closest big city! I had no idea where the name came from, nor did I question it, strangely. That said, these Cheesy Garlic knots look like they have the best aroma possible! And, that Pepper Jack? calling my name! Great recipe, David!
It’s fun to learn random bits of trivia…like where the name Chicago comes from. Who would’ve thought it’s related to stinky onions? Haha! But you’re right – there’s nothing stinky about these cheesy garlic knots. The house smells SO good when these are in the oven. 🙂 Thanks, Laura!
David, I’m drooling over these garlic knots! They’re wonderful with the cheese!
Thanks so much, Kelly! Why did it take me so long to realize that adding cheese to garlic knots is simply taking a good thing and making it better!? 🙂
I can just imagine how good these garlic knots taste. I love the combination of cheese and bread all baked together. Yum!
Yes! Cheesy bread is one of my favorite things, too, Dawn. Add in some butter and garlic? Yup, I can make an entire meal out of that! 🙂