I love corn muffins, so I’m always looking for new twists on the old standby, which can be kind of bland. These have the surprise of little flecks of sun-dried tomatoes and tender corn kernels, and the garlic makes them so rich they don’t need butter or another topping.

　　

Ingredients

makes 16 muffins

　　2 (8 1/2-ounce) packages corn muffin mix, such as Jiffy

　　2/3 cup diced sun-dried tomatoes (from an 8-ounce jar)

　　2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed

　　3 garlic cloves, minced

　　2/3 cup buttermilk

　　2/3 cup sour cream

　　2 large eggs, beaten

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Insert paper liners in 16 muffin cups or grease the tins.

　　

Step 2

In a large bowl, combine the corn, muffin mix, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes. Stir to combine. Mix in the buttermilk, sour cream, and eggs and stir just until combined.

　　

Step 3

Spoon the mixture into the muffin tins, filling up the cups about halfway. Bake until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean, about 15 minutes.

　　Reprinted with permission from Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites by Giada De Laurentiis. Copyright © 2008 by Giada De Laurentiis. Published by Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Giada De Laurentiis is the star of Food Network's Everyday Italian and Behind the Bash. She attended the Cordon Bleu in Paris, and then worked in a variety of Los Angeles restaurants, including Wolfgang Puck's Spago, before starting her own catering and private-chef company, GDL Foods. The granddaughter of movie producer Dino De Laurentiis, Giada was born in Rome and grew up in Los Angeles, where she now lives.