Cornbread Muffins

Fresh out of the oven, these warm and cozy cornbread muffins are a little taste of heaven when spread with softened butter and a drizzle of honey. Prepared with a touch of ground cornmeal and corn kernels for texture, plus rich buttermilk and melted butter for flavor, this recipe is a scrumptious accompaniment or a cozy treat on its own!

Warm muffins brimming with the sweet flavor of corn

When my hubs and I have a craving for a warming, stick-to-our-ribs meal, I'll often whip up a big pot of either my sweet potato chili or my black bean soup with Spanish chorizo.

And while these are utterly comforting on their own, topped with a sprinkle of cheese and some fresh herbs, they never seem quite complete without a cornbread muffin on the side.

While a good quality, store-bought cornbread muffin is tasty, nothing, and I mean nothing, compares to warm, fresh-out-of-the-oven, homemade cornbread muffins. Spread with a generous swipe of softened butter and a drizzle of honey, it's love at first bite, and a true indulgence!

My cornbread muffins recipe comes together quickly and easily, baked off in minutes. So there's no excuse not to indulge.

Extra moist, rich and buttery, with a fluffy interior, these cornbread muffins are pretty much perfect for all occasions. A zesty bowl of chili, my sweet and smoky baked beans, my fried chicken, or pretty much any entree needs a cornbread muffin companion!

My recipe for cornbread muffins

A big part of the appeal for me of making homemade cornbread muffins is how quickly a batch comes together with just a handful of ingredients. And I typically have all of those ingredients in my pantry already (as many of us do), which is super convenient!

Because there's nothing less enticing than biting into a dry, dense, and bland cornbread muffin, this recipe makes use of a generous addition of melted butter, a good pour of rich, tenderizing buttermilk, and a generous drizzle of honey.

And to add a bit of texture and even more flavor to these cornbread muffins, I use a big scoop of cornmeal (medium ground) along with about a cup of corn kernels when making this batter.

Both of these ingredients really highlight that sweet, delectable corn flavor, which I just love. It makes these muffins deliciously cozy and rustic, and utterly irresistible!

Here's a sneak peek at how I make my cornbread muffins recipe: (or just jump to the full recipe...)

1. To get started, I whisk together my dry ingredients and set those aside.
2. Then, I whisk together my wet ingredients, and add the dry into the wet, whisking to combine. Next, I fold the corn kernels into the batter, just until combined.
3. The cornbread muffin batter gets spooned into 12 muffin tin wells (lightly spritzed with cooking spray), and baked off with a higher temp at first to help with the rise, then finished at a lower temperature, for a total time of around 16 minutes.
4. I allow the cornbread muffins to cool for just a few moments in the tin, then remove them and allow them to slightly cool until just warm (or room temp), and serve them with additional butter and honey.

Recipe

Cornbread Muffins

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

These cornbread muffins are rich, fluffy and deliciously moist, brimming with corn kernels, fresh buttermilk, and a kiss of honey!

Category: Side
Cuisine: American

Yield: 12 cornbread muffins

Nutrition Info: 211 calories (per muffin)

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 16 minutes
Total time: 31 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cornmeal (medium grind)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 ¼ cups buttermilk, room temp
• 2 large eggs
• 8 tablespoons (½ cup) unsalted, melted butter
• ¼ cup honey
• 1 cup sweet corn kernels, blotted of excess moisture

Preparation:

1. Begin by gathering and prepping all of your ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
2. Preheat the oven to 425°, and lightly mist a 12-well muffin pan with cooking spray.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda, and set these dry ingredients aside for a moment.
4. Next, in a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk with the eggs until smooth. Pour in the melted butter and the honey, and whisk to blend until smooth.
5. Add in the dry ingredients, and whisk them into the wet just until they are combined and fairly smooth, taking care not to over-mix the batter. Fold in the corn kernels.
6. Spoon the batter equally into the 12 wells of the muffin pan, filling fairly full. Place into the oven and bake for 6 minutes at 425°, then reduce the heat to 350°, and bake for an additional 10 minutes (total baking time of 16 minutes), or until the muffins are baked through. (I like to rotate my pan halfway through baking.)
7. Once the cornbread muffins are baked, remove them from the oven and allow them to sit for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, then carefully remove and place onto a wire rack to cool to warm or room temp.
8. Enjoy the cornbread muffins spread with extra butter and drizzled with honey, if desired.

Tips & tidbits for my cornbread muffins recipe:

• Buttermilk for richness and flavor: While you could certainly use whole milk in place of the buttermilk (substituting 1 cup instead), the buttermilk imparts such delicious flavor and gives these cornbread muffins some added tenderness and richness.
• Your choice of corn kernels for added texture: If fresh corn is in season, I just cut the kernels off of 2 or 3 corn cobs (yellow or white) and use those. But using frozen and thawed corn kernels here is terrific. But make sure to blot the thawed kernels of excess moisture before folding them into the batter. Canned corn kernels are fine too—just drain and blot well.
• Make the recipe in an 8 by 8 inch pan instead: If you prefer to make this recipe into cornbread and cut it into squares instead, simply mist an 8 by 8 inch pan with cooking spray (use parchment as well, if necessary), and bake at 425° for roughly 25 to 27 minutes instead. (Do not lower temp to 350°.)
• How to store these cornbread muffins: You can place them onto a large platter and wrap in plastic wrap, or stack onto a dessert plate with a dome cover, and keep them that way. They stay deliciously moist for a couple of days, and can be gently reheated in the microwave or toaster oven to serve warm!

Craving more cozy muffin recipes? Check out my recipe for Lemon Blueberry Muffins, Pumpkin French Toast Muffins, Apple Muffins, Cranberry Orange Muffins, Double Chocolate Chip Muffins, Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins with Streusel, or my recipe for Banana Nut Muffins!