Quick & Easy Cornbread Muffins

Traditional cornbread muffins with a hint of sweetness from the honey. They are easy to mix and ready in 30 minutes. Eat them warm with a dollop of butter or freeze them for later. A great recipe that can be easily doubled or tripled.

An alternative to our favorite cornbread recipe with cheese and jalapeños, this cornbread muffin recipe is a staple year-round.

They are great for breakfast, when we grill outside, to eat with soup, as a snack, as part of the Thanksgiving table. Super versatile and sooo easy to make!

Another savory muffin to add to our ever growing list of muffin recipes in this blog.

About this recipe

• Quick and easy. They come together in 10 minutes and need 15 minutes of oven time at the most. Mine are usually done in a few minutes less because I like them medium/small, the perfect size.
• Make ahead. You can easily freeze them for a month and reheat them when ready to eat.
• Few ingredients. And very easily available. You might have everything in your pantry right now.
• Adjust the sweetness. This recipe is balanced with a hint of sweetness, but allows for a tablespoon or two more of sugar, if you like them more on the sweet side.

Ingredients

They are few and easily available.

• Honey: any type you like works.
• Cornmeal: yellow cornmeal or polenta, both work.
• Sugar: white, granulated is my regular go-to, but light brown sugar can be used. They will be darker in color and with a hint of caramel flavor.
• Egg: fresh, large.
• Unsalted butter. Or oil, such as sunflower or coconut oil.
• Flour: all purpose is the first choice, but I've made these with cake flour and they came out very well.
• Baking powder: make sure it's active and not expired.
• Salt and pepper: I use kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Milk: you can use whole milk, reduced fat, buttermilk, or even almond milk.

How to make cornbread muffins

• Old fashioned way of mixing: the dry ingredients are stirred in a large bowl and then the wet ingredients are added and integrated with a whisk or spatula (images 1 and 2). You can also mix the wet part (eggs, honey, melted butter, and milk) in a separate bowl and then add them.
• You need runny honey for this recipe. So if the one you use is thick, warm it up a little. I use the microwave for 5-10 seconds.
• The final batter is creamy and smooth. Except for the texture the cornmeal or polenta adds, there should be no lumps nor dry parts (image 3). But don't beat it, only stir the ingredients together.
• Muffin tin: depending on the size you want to make your muffins, you might get more than 6 and less than 12. So fill with water the muffin cups that will not be used so the muffin pan is even in weight when you put it in the oven (see image 4, below).

Baking cornbread muffins

• Fill the muffin cups no more than ¾ of their capacity. This is a dense batter, so the muffin tops will rise wonderfully, bake to a light golden brown, and crack. But still, if you fill them too much, you always risk overflow during baking.
• Preheated oven. Make sure you turn on the oven before you start mixing the muffin batter.
• When are they done? For this recipe I like to make medium sized muffins which are perfect to accompany meals. So they take about 15-18 minutes. They should be springy to the touch and a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean. Don't over bake them.

My top tips

• Organization: always read the recipe first and make sure you have all the ingredients, at the right temperatures, and also the rest of the equipment and space to make it. This will make the process so much easier!
• Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer that is placed inside the oven (like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust. 
• Size: you can make them any size you want, from mini muffins to jumbo muffins. The baking times will all be different, of course, so use the one given in the recipe as a base.
• Use oil instead of butter: it will lose the butter flavor but they will be moister. You can also use half melted butter and half oil (1 tablespoon of each). Sometimes when I use oil, I don't need to add milk.
• Storing corn bread muffins: they are best eaten the day they are baked, preferably warm from the oven. But they do keep well in an airtight container for a few days. Or frozen for a month, either well wrapped or in a freezer bag. Let them come to room temperature and then warm in a medium oven (350°F/180°C) before eating.
• Serve a crowd: this is a great recipe to make a double batch or even triple it. If you're making them ahead and freezing, do so while still barely warm. I find that they keep the moisture better. Always rewarm before serving.
• Serving them: warm with a dollop of butter or sour cream and a drizzle of honey (or whipped honey butter) is how we roll here for breakfast and brunch. Warm and plain as a side dish for soups, stews, chili and barbecues. And sometimes we split them and toast them before slathering butter. They also make good ham and cheese sandwiches.
• Add-ins: take this recipe as a basic cornbread batter to which you can add some chopped jalapeños, some chili powder or smoked paprika, grated swiss or cheddar cheese, or chopped pecans, maybe bacon bits.

Frequently asked questions

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