Savory olive thyme muffins in miniature form.
I’m stopping in today to share these mini olive thyme muffins with you because I just couldn’t let the week go by without passing the recipe for these along.
You may be saying to yourself “I can’t even think of baking another thing right now” but not to worry these little muffins are no effort at all and well worth turning on the oven for.
There’s no long list of ingredients or complicated preparation involved, just chop, whisk and pour and into the oven they go. The little olive and fresh thyme studded muffin tops pop and puff up in the heat of the oven and take on a light golden hue.
Olive oil keeps these mini muffins superbly moist and imparts a peppery and herbaceous undertone. Bits of finely chopped black olives and fresh thyme leaves add an extra layer of salty, herbal olive flavor. I’m partial to them with an added crumbling of sheep’s milk feta and would suggest you add some to the batter if you are so inclined but that’s entirely optional.
Light and moist with a tender crumb they make an excellent accompaniment to a glass of bubbly as an appetizer, fit right in on a buffet table, and are made for picnics or serving alongside a bowl of soup or salad. The hardest part is waiting for them to cool before popping one into your mouth.
Wishing you all a Joyous 2014!

Gluten-Free Olive Thyme Mini Muffins (Paleo)
Gluten-free mini muffins studded with bits of chopped black olives, fresh thyme and salty feta cheese.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup/32g arrowroot
- ¼ cup/ 30g coconut flour
- ¼ tsp grain-free baking powder
- 60g (about 16 olives) black pitted kalamata olives
- 1 small garlic clove, finely minced
- 4 to 5 small branches of fresh thyme, stems removed
- ⅛ tsp sea salt
- 4 Tablespoons/60ml extra virgin olive oil
- 4 large eggs
- 1 oz sheep’s milk feta, crumbled (optional, omit for Paleo)
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 375 degree F. Line a mini muffin tin with paper liners or grease lightly with oil. (I used mini muffin liners that hold 1oz)
- In a small bowl combine the arrowroot with the coconut flour and baking powder and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Finely chop the olives along with the garlic, fresh thyme leaves and salt running your knife multiple times through and smashing the mixture lightly with the side of the blade. Set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl whisk together the olive oil and eggs until well combined.
- Add the olive mixture and whisk again. Add the flour mixture and whisk until thoroughly combined and you have a loose batter. Add in crumbled feta if using and stir again.
- Pour batter into the lined or greased muffin cups and bake for about 14-16 minutes until the tops are just lightly golden. (If you are making bigger muffins the baking time will be longer. Start checking at 14 minutes and remove them from the oven when the tops are cracked and golden.)
- Remove from oven and set to cool on a wire rack.
Notes
Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Vegetarian, Nut-Free, Paleo, Dairy-Free (omit feta cheese for paleo and dairy-free)
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 138Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 43mgSodium: 56mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 2g
Nutritional information for recipes contained on this website, such as calories, fat, carbs, etc. are only estimates and are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.
najwa kronfel says
These sound great, I love how they all fit on the tin, so cute!
Happy New Year Sylvie!! xx
Sandi says
Where do you get the little white muffins cups
Sylvie says
I found them at a local restaurant supply store. They are called Mini Souffle Paper Baking Cups, but if you can't find those particular cups near you any mini muffin paper liners will work. Hope that helps!
Nami | Just One Cookbook says
I love the olive and thyme combination. What a great muffin recipe!
Alyssa (Everyday Maven) says
Nice! Savory muffins are awesome. Love that these are nut free.
EA-The Spicy RD says
Love the idea of a savory muffin! Glad you shared 🙂
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
I love these flavors, a perfect savory bite!
Eileen says
A savory muffin sounds just about perfect--definitely a great contrast to all the season's sugar. 🙂 Yay!
Rosa says
Wonderful muffins and flavor combination!
I hope you are having a lovely holiday.
Cheers,
Rosa
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
These sound great!! Yum!
Alexandra says
The mini muffins sound like the right thing after cookie-mania over Christmas. Small and savory... and the feta would be a must for me.