Jalapeño Cornbread Muffin
intro
Moist, golden-crusted savory muffins with sweet corn, zesty jalapeño, and melted cheddar, perfect for pairing with smoky summer grilled fare.
Ingredients
Steps
Preheat Oven and Prep Tins
Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F) and line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners, or lightly grease each cup with a thin coating of the 1 tablespoon (14g) softened butter to prevent sticking. Set the tin aside while you mix the batter.
Whisk Dry Ingredients Together
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 180g (1.5 cups) yellow cornmeal, 120g (1 cup) all-purpose flour, 50g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and 1 teaspoon fine sea salt until fully combined, with no visible clumps of leavening left.
Mix Wet Ingredients Thoroughly
In a separate medium bowl, whisk 2 large eggs until completely smooth, then stir in 240ml (1 cup) room-temperature buttermilk and 113g (1/2 cup) melted, slightly cooled unsalted butter until the mixture is uniform, with no streaks of unincorporated egg visible.
Mix Batter and Fold Add-ins
Pour the wet ingredient mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients, and stir with a rubber spatula just until no dry flour remains—do not overmix, as small lumps are normal and desired. Fold in 60g finely diced seeded jalapeño (reserve 12 thin jalapeño slices for topping), 150g drained canned sweet corn, and 85g (3/4 cup) shredded cheddar cheese until evenly distributed.
Fill Tins and Add Toppings
Scoop the batter evenly into the prepared muffin tin, filling each cup about 3/4 full (approximately 60g of batter per cup) to leave room for rising. Top each muffin with one reserved thin jalapeño slice, pressing it lightly into the surface of the batter so it stays in place during baking.
Bake Muffins Until Done
Bake the muffins in the preheated 200°C (400°F) oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and domed, and a toothpick inserted into the center of a middle muffin comes out clean with 1-2 moist crumbs attached. Remove the tin from the oven, let the muffins rest in the tin for 5 minutes to set, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool for another 5 minutes before serving.
Tips
2.Adjust spice level to taste: leave the jalapeño seeds and white inner membranes attached to the diced pepper for extra heat, or remove all seeds and rinse diced pepper under cold water for a mild, kid-friendly batch.
3.Store leftover muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days; reheat for 5 minutes in a 180°C (350°F) oven to crisp the edges before serving, as microwaving will make them soggy.
OMG these jalapeño cornbread muffins were the star of our Sunday chili night! I added a little extra shredded cheddar on top before baking and they came out so moist, not crumbly at all like every other cornbread recipe I’ve tried. My picky 7 year old even ate two, no complaints about the little spice kick!
Made these to go with smoked brisket over the weekend and they were chef’s kiss. The little bit of jalapeño heat cuts through the rich brisket so well. Super easy to throw together too, I didn’t even have to pull out my stand mixer. 10/10 will be making these all tailgate season long.
Added these to my weekly meal prep rotation! I batch baked them on Sunday, popped them in the fridge, and they heat up in 20 seconds in the microwave for a quick side with soup or salad all week. They hold up so much better than I expected, no soggy bottoms at all.
Brought these to my office potluck yesterday and the entire tin was gone in 10 minutes! Multiple people asked for the recipe, I felt so fancy. I used pickled jalapeños instead of fresh because that’s what I had in the pantry and it worked perfectly, tangy and a little spicy. Game changer for quick potluck sides.
I’m a total baby when it comes to spice, so I seeded all the jalapeños really well and left a little extra honey in the batter. They came out SO good, just a tiny hint of heat that even I could handle! My husband thought they could use more spice, so next time I’ll leave a few seeds in half the batch for him.
Super easy recipe even for a terrible college baker like me! I didn’t have a muffin tin so I just poured the whole batter into a small cast iron skillet and baked it a little longer, came out perfect. Ate half the pan with my roommates while we watched the game last night, no regrets.
I swapped the all purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten free baking flour and these came out perfect! No weird gritty texture, no crumbing apart, you honestly couldn’t even tell they were gluten free. So happy to have a go-to cornbread recipe that works for my dietary needs.
Made these to go with pulled pork sandwiches for my kid’s birthday cookout and they were a huge hit. I added a can of creamed corn to the batter like my grandma used to do, made them extra moist and corn-forward. Would absolutely make again, zero leftovers.
30 minute cook time? Sign me up! I threw these together after work last night while my pasta was boiling, no fancy prep, no weird ingredients I had to run to the store for. We ate them warm with a little slather of salted butter, chef’s kiss.
Tested this recipe with flax eggs and oat milk for my vegan roommate and it actually worked! I was worried they’d be dense, but they were light and fluffy, just as good as the non-vegan batch I made for myself. Will definitely be making both versions for our next game night.
Y’all, I’ve been making cornbread for 40 years and this recipe is up there with my mama’s. The balance of sweet corn and zingy jalapeño is just right, not too cakey, not too dry. I baked mine in a cast iron muffin tin for that crispy edge everyone fights over, 10/10.
Had a few of these leftover from dinner, sliced them in half, toasted them in a pan with a little butter, and put a fried egg on top for breakfast the next morning. Absolute game changer, I’m never eating plain toast for breakfast again.
First time baking anything from scratch and I didn’t mess these up! The instructions were so straightforward, no confusing steps, and they came out golden and fluffy. My roommate thought I bought them from the bakery down the street, I felt so proud.
I added an extra jalapeño and a sprinkle of cotija cheese on top for a little extra kick, and these were fire. Perfect side for taco night, everyone at the table was raving. So easy to make, I’ll be doubling the batch next time because they went way too fast.
These freeze so well! I let them cool completely, popped them in a freezer bag, and pulled one out last minute to go with my taco soup for lunch. My kids loved them too, I just pop a frozen one in their lunchbox and it’s thawed by lunchtime. Heated up in the microwave in a minute and tasted just as fresh as the day I baked them. Perfect for busy weeks.
Made these for our Thanksgiving side spread last year and everyone demanded I bring them back this year. They’re the perfect little handheld side so people don’t have to juggle a big slice of cornbread on their plate with all the other Thanksgiving food. Total crowd pleaser.
These were so good even with dairy free butter and almond milk! I was worried the substitutions would make them taste off, but my whole family ate them without even noticing they were dairy free. My teen said they’re better than the regular cornbread muffins we get at the BBQ place down the street.
Served these at my weekend brunch with honey butter and jalapeño jam on the side, and every single guest asked for the recipe. They’re the perfect mix of sweet and savory, way more interesting than regular old dinner rolls. I will be having these at every brunch from now on.
I accidentally put too much sugar in the first batch and it still came out good? That’s how easy this recipe is, I literally messed up the measurements and they were still tasty. Nailed the second batch with the right amount of sugar, and wow, even better.