Cornbread is the epitome of Southern food! Turn a skillet of hot cornbread into perfectly portioned muffins, and it’s the perfect grab-and-go side at the BBQ. Make a batch of these to take to parties, potlucks, or as a side dish for a weeknight meal. It’s the perfect accompaniment to a bowl of soup, stew, or chili.
Oh, cornbread! One of the most polarizing topics of Southern culture. Should it be sweet or savory? Dry or crumbly?
All of these questions feed into the debate that has spanned years with no signs of cooling down any time soon.
But, these. These cornbread muffins might be the perfect compromise: savory bites of tender cornbread in the perfect size.
No need to worry about folks getting handsy with serving their own slice. Simply grab a muffin and move along!
Typically, corn muffins or cornbread muffins are on the sweeter side. But these give an ode to a pan of old-fashioned cornbread and keep it savory. It’s just how you would want homemade cornbread to taste!
How to Make Cornbread Muffins
This recipe is darn close to my skillet cornbread recipe, except these are made in muffin tins instead of a cast-iron skillet.
Now, you can also use this same recipe to make “corn sticks” which are baked in ears-of-corn-shaped cast-iron molds.
I haven’t tested that recipe, so monitor the cooking time closely if you go that route.
One thing to remember is that these are not regular muffins – they will not rise like cupcakes or sweet muffins. The cornmeal makes them dense, so they will only round at the top instead of rising. Still, only fill your muffin tin cup about ¾ of the way full to have evenly-sized muffins.
Ingredients for cornbread muffins
Only a handful of ingredients are needed for this recipe. Most of them are probably already in your pantry.
- Vegetable oil or shortening – Vegetable oil or shortening locks in moisture and binds it all together. Vegetable oil alternatives like avocado oil or olive oil are fine, too.
- Egg
- Buttermilk or milk – Use either for this recipe. Note the measurement differences in the recipe card below.
- Martha White® Self-Rising Enriched Yellow Corn Meal Mix – White cornmeal can be used in place of yellow cornmeal, but the muffins may not turn as golden with white cornmeal.
- Salt – Adds a pinch of savory to the recipe.
Instructions
- Whisk dry ingredients in a bowl.
- Add wet ingredients and combine with dry ingredients. Mix until the batter is smooth.
- Fill a greased muffin tin with batter.
- Bake until golden brown or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Variations
Here are some ideas to shake up plain cornbread muffins:
- Add ½ cup of cheddar cheese
- Add bell peppers or jalapenos
- Add a small can of creamed corn for moisture
Serve this with:
Tips
- Make this recipe ahead of time by baking the muffins, allowing them to cool completely, then store them at room temperature in an airtight container.
- Cornbread muffins can easily be reheated by loosely wrapping them in foil and placing them in a 300-degree oven for about 10 minutes.
- Quickly fill muffin tins by measuring ¼ cup of batter with a measuring cup with a spout.
- Cornbread does not need to be refrigerated. Store at room temperature.
Recipe
Cornbread Muffins
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Vegetable oil or shortening
- 1 large Egg
- 1 ½ cups Buttermilk (or 1 1/3 cups milk)
- 2 cups Martha White® Self-Rising Enriched Yellow Corn Meal Mix
- 1 teaspoon salt
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450ºF degrees. Grease a 12-muffin muffin tin and set aside.
- Add all dry ingredients to a bowl and whisk together. Set aside.
- Then, whisk an egg in a medium bowl, and add the remaining wet ingredients: vegetable oil, buttermilk, and cornmeal mix.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir to combine.
- Evenly fill muffin tins ¾ of the way full with the cornbread batter.*
- Place in the preheated oven and bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
Notes
Recipe Tips
- Make this recipe ahead of time by baking the muffins, allowing them to cool completely, then store them at room temperature in an airtight container.
- Cornbread muffins can easily be reheated by loosely wrapping them in foil and placing them in a 300-degree oven for about 10 minutes.
- Quickly fill muffin tins by measuring ¼ cup of batter with a measuring cup with a spout.
- Cornbread does not need to be refrigerated. Store at room temperature.
Nutrition
FAQ:
Don’t allow your cornbread to sit out too long after baking. Once the bread or muffins have cooled, place them in an airtight container to rest on the counter.
Refrigerating any kind of bread will dry it out. Cornbread and cornbread muffins can be stored on the counter at room temperature in an airtight container.
Cornbread can be served with any soup, stew, or as any side dish.
Cornbread is prepared in a skillet cake-style. Muffins are prepared in muffin tins for portioned servings of cornbread.
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Monday 16th of October 2023
[…] You can also pair them with other holiday sides like a green bean casserole, oven roasted baby carrots, homemade cranberry sauce, Southern cornbread dressing, turkey gravy, and Southern cornbread muffins. […]
Kathy
Thursday 29th of December 2022
Made the Cornbread muffins , very good ! Ty