Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins
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These easy muffins are amazingly moist, crumbly and buttery. Perfect as a side dish, appetizer or snack! SO GOOD.
why i love this recipe
- Say goodbye to box cornbread mix and dry, dense cornbread – these muffins are amazingly moist + wonderfully crumbly and buttery
- Completely homemade, and so stinking easy to whip up
- No mixer required – simply whisk and fold until moist
- Perfect as a side dish (that you’ll want to serve with anything and everything), an easy appetizer or after school snack
- Guaranteed crowd-pleaser, great for party entertaining and holiday get togethers
- Freezer-friendly and reheats like a dream
is cornbread sweet or savory
Cornbread can be both sweet or savory depending on personal preference. Southern-style cornbread, for example, comes in so many different varieties and is typically made without sugar (more savory). These muffins, however, lean more towards the sweet cornbread category, sweetened by white granulated sugar and honey.
VARIATIONS
Bacon or sausage
Add crispy, crumbled bacon or sausage.
Cheese
Substitute a different cheese such as shredded Pepper Jack or smoked Gouda.
Herbs
Add chopped fresh herbs such as rosemary, thyme or chives.
Vegetables
Diced and sauteed bell peppers, caramelized onions, canned green chiles, or frozen or canned corn kernels are all great additions.
Mild
For more mild flavors, especially for toddlers and children, skip the jalapenos and substitute scallions (green onions).
how to make these easy jalapeno cornbread muffins
- Spray or line a 12-cup muffin tin
- Mix the dry ingredients
- Mix the wet ingredients
- Pour the wet over dry, stirring just until moist (overmixing will lead to dense, dry cornbread) – stir in jalapenos + cheese
- Transfer the batter to the muffin tin and bake until golden brown
- Serve warm with softened butter or drizzled with honey (and freeze any leftovers for later)
tips and tricks for success
- Use buttermilk. While adding a slightly tangy flavor, buttermilk is a key ingredient here yielding light, moist and fluffier cornbread muffins. Using milk will lead to more neutral flavors and a drier consistency.
- Liners vs. spray. Prefer cupcake liners? Skip the spray and line the muffin pan with liners instead.
- Use fine or medium-ground cornmeal. Dependent on personal preference, fine or medium-ground cornmeal are typically the most popular options for cornbread. For a more smooth consistency, fine-ground cornmeal is ideal, but for more texture and grittiness, medium-ground is the way to go.
- Do not use cornbread mix. Cornbread mix is not the same as cornmeal. Cornbread mix comes pre-mixed with leavening agents.
- Avoid overmixing. Using a rubber spatula, stir the batter until everything is just combined and moistened with a few lumps here and there. Overmixing will lead to dense, tough muffins.
- Dress them up. Finish the muffins off with a drizzle of honey, enjoying them on its own as a snack or paired with a comforting bowl of chili.
- Freeze as needed. Cornbread muffins freeze very well and can typically last up to 3 months in the freezer.
pro tip
Buttermilk substitute
A quick and easy buttermilk substitute is creating your own buttermilk with whole milk and something acidic such as lemon juice or distilled white vinegar. Add 1 tablespoon acid (lemon juice or vinegar) to 1 cup milk, letting it stand for 5-10 minutes.
what to serve with jalapeno cornbread muffins
Tools For This Recipe
12-cup muffin tin
Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins: Frequently Asked Questions
If the seeds and membranes are removed from the jalapeno peppers before adding to the cornbread batter, the spice level will be relatively mild. If the seeds are left intact, the muffins will be on the spicier side.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.
You can make one of our favorite cornbread stuffings, a holiday staple, or add them (crumbled) as a salad topping.
Yes! You can easily make cornbread in a skillet. Recipe here.
Yes! Once cooled completely, wrap each muffin in plastic wrap before transferring into plastic freezer bags (this will prevent freezer burn), squeezing out any excess air before sealing. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge, reheating at 325°F (covered in foil) until heated through.
Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 jalapenos, seeded and diced
- ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly coat a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick spray; set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, baking soda and salt.
- In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together buttermilk, butter, sugar, eggs and honey. Pour mixture over dry ingredients and stir using a rubber spatula just until moist.
- Stir in jalapenos and cheese until just combined.
- Scoop the batter evenly into the muffin tray. Place into oven and bake for 15-17 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.
- Serve warm.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
I made this for a BBQ party. It got high praises.
These Jalapeño muffins look so good Can’t wait to try Thank you for sharing 🙂
These muffins are amazing! I did only use 1/4 cup of sugar as recommended in the comment section, and I didn’t drizzle with honey since we were having these with soup. (I’ll try that another time. 😉 ) my son suggested topping them with pineapple jalapeno salsa. I told him we could use the cupcake corer and put the salsa in the middle of the muffins. Mmmmmmm…. Thank you, thank you for this recipe!!
This is the best cornbread recipe ever!
I have made many over the years but none as delicious as these!
Will use the recipe for now on! Thank you, Diann
These are by far the BEST cornbread muffins i’ve ever made (and I’ve made many!) Everyone who has tried them can’t get enough. Thanks for sharing such a fantastic recipe!
I was wondering if it would be ok to use a round baking pan instead of muffin pan?
Yes, absolutely. You may need to adjust baking time as needed though.
Pingback: Cornbread (pain de maïs) au jalapeño | Catherine Cuisine
Hello Chung-Ah! I finally made this wonderful recipe yesterday. I simply reduced the amount of sugar because I wanted to eat the cornbread with a chili, and not as sweet muffins. The texture and flavor are perfect! I translated the recipe in French and and it is now on my blog with a link to yours. Thank you, I love your blog 🙂
http://catherinecuisine.com/2014/03/03/cornbread-pain-de-mais-au-jalapeno/
Did you add anything when you reduced the sugar? Thanks.
No, did not add anything. reducing the sugar in a recipe does not change its texture. It was perfect with 1/4 cup sugar, to eat as a savory bread 🙂
These look great. Do you top with a slice of jalapeno and drizzle honey on each muffin before you put it in the oven to get that look? Also, it looks like you left the seeds in the jalapeno slice on the top – does that mean you used a third jalapeno for this? Thanks.
Ng, if you would like to garnish these muffins with jalapeno, you can top the muffins with a jalapeno slice (you would be using a third jalapeno) before popping them in the oven. I recommend drizzling with honey upon serving.
Great, thank you!
Wow, these look crazy delicious 🙂 I cannot wait to use this recipe!
Can these be made the night before and reheated?
Yes, absolutely. You can pop it in the microwave for a quick nuke.
Thanks. Want to bring them to a Mardi Gras parade, but wanted to get them made tonight.
Wow, these sound amazing!
My mouth is watering! These would add an a perfect touch to many, many meals! Love!
Corn bread is my happy place. It’s one of my favorite all-time comfort foods, and the drippy honey + spicy jalepeno launches these babies into the carbalicious hall of fame! PS. If you and I ever dine and the same Italian restaurant, they better up their bread supply. I just can’t get enough either!
These look amazing! 🙂 I agree with you on the baskets of rolls or bread at restaurants. Once or a dozen times I have eaten enough bread that I was no longer for the “real” food I had ordered and have to take that home.
Was looking through Pinterest for a cornbread muffin recipe, stumbled upon these delicious looking muffins. Definitely making these tomorrow night to go along with my homemade chili. Aside from how good these look, I want to make everything I have seen! The photography of the food is so appealing! There are so many recipes I have seen I need to make for sure!!!
These muffins (and your photos) are just stunning. Pinned!
These look wonderful! And I love the photo where they’re all stacked so neatly, very arty indeed, and it only make them look even more scrummy 😀
I love cornbread-anything (who doesn’t?!) Definitely feeling inspired 😀 x
These look great! Love the combo of jalapeño, cheese in the cornbread. They would go great with a big bowl of chili.
Wow! These are adorable! I love the sweet+spicy mix, and your pictures are awesome!
I love corn bread, I love cheese, peppers have their place..but then you drizzle those muffins with honey and I am heading to my list to add jalapenos for my next batch of corn bread…