In a skillet, cook the ground breakfast sausage over medium heat, breaking it apart with a spoon, until fully browned and cooked through. Drain any excess grease.

Transfer the cooked sausage to a small bowl and let it cool slightly. Once cooled, stir in the shredded cheddar cheese. Set aside.

Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners or grease generously.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract until well combined.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir with a rubber spatula until just combined. Be careful not to overmix; a few lumps are fine. Overmixing will result in tough muffins.

Gently fold in the cooked sausage and cheese mixture until evenly distributed throughout the batter.

Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove the muffin tin from the oven and let the muffins cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

While the muffins cool, prepare the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, pure maple syrup, and 1 tablespoon of milk (or water) until smooth. If the glaze is too thick, add more milk 1/2 teaspoon at a time until you reach your desired drizzling consistency.

Once the muffins are completely cool, drizzle generously with the maple glaze. Serve immediately or store for later.