Cornbread Muffins…
Bet You Can’t Eat Just 8.
To accompany our dinner, we made some cute little homemade corn bread muffins filled with fresh local corn, spicy roasted serrano chiles, smokey thick sliced bacon, chopped cilantro, minced garlic, sliced green onions, and sharp cheddar cheese. They were so good they didn’t even need a pat of butter!
T: how many of these muffins did you make?
A: i made 12 muffins and a huge cast iron skillet “loaf” of the corn bread.
T: how many muffins did you eat?
A: i’m thinking around 3… and half. we split one while photoing.
T: sweet. That means I ate 8.5 muffins in one sitting. that rocks. No wonder my bowels were playing games with me today.
A: heheheh too funny! these were some tasty muffins. i over cooked them to my preference by just a minute or two, but they still tasted awesome. the “loaf”, for lack of a better term, was cooked just right though.
T: I really liked these things. Haven’t tried the loaf yet, but the muffins were very good… obviously. If I were nitpicking I would say they could have used more goods on the inside such as cheese or pimentos. That’s just nitpicking though.
A: i agree they could have used a touch more pepper. i would have put more roasted serranos though, not so much red peppers. red peppers would be good… just not spicy!
T: you’re right. more green AND red peppers! I rate these little guys a 4.6/5. They were definitely tasty enough to binge on, but there is still room for improvement. Hopefully you’ll keep trying! I <3 cornbread.
A: ha ha… you said “i heart” something! who’s the myspace loving little girl now huh?
T: actually on myspace I’m a little boy, but that’s beside the point.
A: 😛 yeah, just remember what you said. i’m never going to let you live it down! i too “heart” cornbread. good cornbread, at least. there is definitely bad bad cornbread in the world… the corporate monstrosity Cracker Barrel serves some of the worst cornbread i’ve ever had the displeasure to try. these were nothing like those.
T: you just hate crack. barrel because you worked there when you were younger.
A: hmmm while that’s true… they do make good biscuits! just really really crappy cornbread. Okay, so I”m gonna give these little dudes a 4.25/5. They got a lower rating because they were just slightly over-cooked. i really meant to cook them at 350, but when i looked at the oven it read 400! oops! they still weren’t dried out, just not as moist as i would have liked them to be.
T: yeah, they were still totally delicious. They would have complimented any southern meal perfectly. The South would be proud of you, Mandy.
A: oh hell no! just because you are complimenting me doesn’t mean that you can call me mandy, tea-cakes.
T: didn’t you ever hear what that Indian guy said that time… An eye for an eye…?
A: nope. missed that one. ;-).
* gracias Maw Maw for the cast iron muffin pan
Dry Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups corn meal
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
Add-in's:
kernals from 2 ears of fresh corn
5-6 roasted serrano chiles, diced
4 thick slices of bacon, cooked cripsy then chopped
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz sharp cheddar, shredded
Wet Ingredients:
3 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare several muffin tins by either spraying with non-stick spray or lining with muffin liners.
Add all of the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Stir to combine thoroughly.
Place all of the add-ins into the dry ingredients. Stir to combine evenly.
In a separate bowl, add the eggs. Whisk to break up the yolks. Add the rest of the wet ingredients to the bowl with the eggs. Whisk to combine thoroughly.
Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and add-ins. Stir batter until just combined. Over-stirring will lead to tougher muffins.
Pour the cornbread batter into the prepared muffin tins. Fill each muffin tin nearly to the top with batter. The muffins won't rise too much while baking.
Place the muffin tins into a preheated 375 degree oven. Bake in the upper half of the oven for about 20 minutes or until just baked through. To test the "doneness" of a muffin insert a toothpick into the center of one of the muffins. If it comes out clean the muffins are done.
Let the muffins rest in the tins on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before removing. Great Served warm or at room temperaturd. Enjoy!
*This cornbread can also be baked in a cast-iron skillet or glass baking dish. Make sure to adjust the cook-time to about 35 minutes and test w/ a toothpick if using one of these alternate baking methods.
Tea-cakes? Is that what people call Tyler when he goes out in nothing but his chaps? And maybe matching vest…
i would assume these had no sugar in them. what’s your take on a lightly sugared cornbread cuz i love that!
bobby, that’s what i call t’ster regardless of whether he’s wearing his chaps and vest or not! 😉 it’s just extra added fun when he does 😛
i completely agree cheila! actually, i didn’t mention sugar in the intro but these did have that lightly sweetened flavor… the best cornbread is the slightly sweet stuff. 🙂
helloo, i stumbled onto your website and i fell in love with it! i can’t wait for this recipe. my boyfriend loves loves cornbread and i would love to try and make this for him. =) thank you for posting all of your amazing creations! it’s a feast for the eyes andddddd mouth haha. =)
I love cornbread, but I’ve never made a spicy variation. I look forward to experimenting with this one ! 🙂
ohyea w/ chilis and fresh corn all in a cast iron. kawabunga! hahah T had 8.5 i love it. sounds like chris!
those look delish, i’ve never made corn bread, i think the time is near, droooool!
Hey guys, thanks for making some food I cannot get in Australia! 🙂
But I have an actual question for Amanda…do you do anything special with the cast iron pan prior to pouring in the batter? My southern grandma used to make killer cornbread that had the crispiest crust ever on the bottom, and I loved it. I never got a chance to get the recipe from her, but I suspect she melted butter or some sort of fat in the pan before adding the batter. Have you heard of anything like that? Mmm, imagine using BACON fat!!!!
A blog after my own heart…who can eat just 8? Not anyone in my house…;-)
I love your recipe for the muffins…going to test them out tomorrow night
Keep up the good work
Could you please share how you roast the chiles and you mentioned you would add more chiles next time, how many more would you have put in. Thanks!!! LOVE YOUR WEBSITE!!!
Finally got around to making these. I like mine a little fluffier, so I added an extra teaspoon of baking powder. The kids loved the muffins. We had them with pork and green chili stew.
AFTER MAKING THE CORNBREAD…. HOW DO U KEEP ANY LEFTOVERS MOIST AND FRESH???? i MADE MINE IN A GLASS PAN???
these turned out awesome!!!! I omitted the bacon, just bc of the event. I am making these for a superbowl chili party and thought the taste of the bacon would not blend well, but I will definitely add it in on another occasion. I also added heavy whipping cream which made them extremely fluffy!!!!! awesome recipe I hope all the people like it at the party bc my roommate devoured and loved them!!!!