Cornbread Muffins

Southerners love cornbread in every form: round, square, loaves—and now, cornbread muffins. These tender, sweet muffins are perfect for nearly any meal of the day—breakfast, dinner, and dare we say it? Even dessert.

Moist and tangy, these cornbread muffins have a hearty cornmeal texture and bite from medium grind cornmeal. It's the real deal texture you want in cornbread. There is sweetness here, too, and you can play it up with a drizzle of honey if you want. But the sugar does make these muffins more tender with small bits of crunchy edges.

Typically, corn muffins contain a lot of sugar and are sweeter, while cornbread sometimes does and sometimes does not have sugar in it. This cornbread muffins recipe is more savory skillet-style cornbread with just a tad of sugar, prepared in muffin tins.

Learn how to make cornbread muffins, and enjoy one with chili or soup the next you're craving a comforting dinner.

Ingredients for Cornbread Muffins

For a person with a well-stocked pantry and fridge with plenty of baking basics, the items on this ingredient list are a no-brainer. Here's what you'll need for these cornbread muffins:

• All-purpose flour: Cornbread purists believe flour doesn't go in this bread dish, but for tender muffins, you'll need just a bit.
• Yellow cornmeal: Medium-ground cornmeal gives these cornbreads a good bite and a hint of crunch.
• Granulated sugar: Sugar here isn't so much for sweetness; it just helps tenderize the muffins and give a great golden brown color.
• Baking powder: This helps the muffins rise during baking.
• Kosher salt: Salt balances out the sweetness so it's not overwhelming and elevates the corn flavor.
• Whole buttermilk: For moisture and richness, and to help the muffins rise.
• Unsalted butter: Add richness and color to the batter.
• Eggs: Helps bring the batter together.
• Salted butter and honey: For serving, but if you're going savory, you can skip the honey.
  

How To Make Cornbread Muffins

These muffins are quick to pull together, whether you're making them as an easy side for dinner or a grab-and-go bread for a potluck or picnic.

• Step 1. Spritz a muffin pan with cooking spray or line it with paper cups.
• Step 2. Combine the dry ingredients, and in a separate bowl, combine the wet.
• Step 3. Form a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, and pour in the wet. Mix until just moistened. Do not overmix or the final muffins could be dry and stiff.
• Step 4. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups, and bake until the cornbread muffins are golden brown.
• Step 5. Let cool slightly, remove from pan, and serve warm with butter and honey or any other dish you want.

How To Store Cornbread Muffins

Make sure muffins cool completely before refrigerating in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Can You Freeze Cornbread Muffins?

Yes, cornbread muffins can also be frozen. Once cool, move to an airtight container or ziplock bag, and store up to 3 months in the freezer. When ready to eat them, reheat muffins wrapped tightly in foil in an oven warmed to 300°F.

Tips for the Best Cornbread Muffins

These easy cornbread muffins are simple to make and great for many meals, but our Test Kitchen provided a few extra good-to-know tips and tricks to make these the best muffins you ever make:

• Dry cornmeal mix can be prepared in bulk and stored in an airtight container ahead of time to whip up quickly with remaining ingredients at any time.
• Make sure you use cornmeal, not corn flour.
• Be careful not to overmix; as soon as batter comes together and all the dry mix is incorporated, it's ready to pour and bake.
• Don't skimp on the buttermilk. Getting cornbread muffins moist is the number one hurdle! The best way to keep them from falling apart is to ensure they have a lot of fat content, both from butter and from buttermilk, which can be a bit fattier and hold moisture more efficiently than whole milk, which makes it perfect for this recipe.

How To Serve Cornbread Muffins

As is, these are tender little bites of cornbread goodness, but you can also serve cornbread muffins with:

• BBQ Chicken
• Hamburger Soup
• Classic Beef Chili
• Slow-Cooker Posole
• Home-Style Butterbeans

Substitutions and Variations

You can get creative with these cornbread muffins and add some other ingredients if you want. Here are a few of our favorite suggestions:

• If you do not have butter, you can substitute equal parts with vegetable oil.
• If you do not have buttermilk, you can use whole milk (and if you like that buttermilk taste, you can swirl in a tablespoon of sour cream or yogurt).
• Add jalapeño peppers or green chiles for a little kick of heat.
• Stir in some Cajun seasoning, chili pepper, or cumin. If you're going sweet, use cinnamon.
• Top each muffin with fresh corn kernels or Cheddar cheese.