Mini Corn Muffins with Rosemary, Pine Nuts, and Parmesan

My Mini Corn Muffins with Rosemary, Pine Nuts, and Parmesan will be the shining little star of your bread basket! These mini muffins are all about their heavenly tops with an extra sprinkle of buttery pine nuts and salty parm with piney rosemary running throughout. My Mini Corn Muffins with Rosemary, Pine Nuts, and Parmesan are the perfect addition to my Romantic Thanksgiving Dinner Menu this year!

Mini Corn Muffins with Rosemary, Pine Nuts, and Parmesan

For my Romantic Thanksgiving Dinner, I have a surprise star. There are a few restaurants I’ve been to where the bread basket is absolutely memorable. Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill comes to mind. So does Tom Colicchio’s Craft restaurant here in Los Angeles. In both cases they have such delicious delicacies in the bread basket that it’s really hard not to just gorge yourself on bread! With that in mind, I developed these tiny little showstoppers–Mini Corn Muffins with Rosemary, Pine Nuts, and Parmesan!

All month l0ng I’m sharing the recipes that can be put together for a Romantic Thanksgiving Dinner for 2-4 people. I kicked things off yesterday with this delicious Baked Brie with Honey, Fig, and Thyme. Now we’re moving to the bread basket, and for that you must have my irresistible Mini Corn Muffins with Rosemary, Pine Nuts, and Parmesan! I’ll also be sharing romance book pairings along the way so you can finish your 2025 reading with something you love.

For an intimate Romantic Thanksgiving Dinner, I think these Mini Corn Muffins are the perfect bite. They’re oh so elegant and, paired with a great cocktail (I have an Autumnal Spritz lined up for this menu that will be perfect) they pack all the flavors of Thanksgiving into a tiny little bite.

Seriously, nothing says Thanksgiving like the smell of rosemary in the oven. Your guests will walk in the house and know exactly what time of year it is.

But what makes these mini muffins so special is the topping. The piney rosemary and buttery pine nuts run throughout. But the top is crunch heaven with a sprinkle of pine nuts and parmesan cheese! They give the muffin tops just this amazing crunchy, buttery, salty, cheesy bite that is truly irresistible.

These mini muffins would be perfect on a small appetizer table, or feel free to just serve them alongside a salad or soup course. You can also make them a day ahead and store them in fridge until ready to serve–so helpful on Thanksgiving! Here’s how I make them!

How I Make My Mini Corn Muffins with Rosemary, Pine Nuts, and Parmesan

These muffins are really simple to make. Start by preheating the oven and greasing or spraying a mini muffin tin. Then you just need two bowls. In the first, mix together all of your dry ingredients. Your corn meal, flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and rosemary go in there. Make sure to mince the rosemary really fine–no one wants twigs and sticks in their muffins. Then add half of the pine nuts.

In the other bowl, combine your wet ingredients. The buttermilk, melted butter, egg, and honey go in there. The melted butter should be cooled before you add it so you don’t scramble the egg. Stir everything together and then add it to the dry ingredients. Mix the wet and dry together until just combined–don’t overmix it so your muffins will be light and fluffy!

Fill up your muffin tin with batter, filling the cups about 2/3rds of the way. Then sprinkle the rest of the pine nuts on the top of the muffins! Follow that with the shredded parmesan, and you’re ready to bake! Slide the tray into the oven and bake for 12-14 minutes. You’re looking for the sides of the muffins to start becoming golden. Pull the tray out of the oven and let the muffins cool on a wire rack.

Easy as, well, mini muffins! These come together really quickly and are totally worth the effort. I can’t wait for you to try them!

We’ll keep building the Romantic Thanksgiving Dinner Menu, and in the meantime enjoy the Mini Corn Muffins with Rosemary, Pine Nuts, and Parmesan!

Romance Recipe Pairing

Pair the Mini Corn Muffins with Sarah Adams’ When In Rome! Such a sweet book about a pop star who falls in love with a small town baker. I’m sure Noah would make amazing Mini Corn Muffins! Plus, you can catch up on the Rome series before the 4th book comes out at the end of the year.