Cornbread Muffins are a delicious side dish! This is the last cornbread muffin recipe you’ll ever have to search for. Moist and soft and absolutely delicious!
So, I got challenged by a friend. She said she has been looking for a savory muffin recipe that isn’t full of flour and cheese. I did try to make them all cornflour but they were too grainy and too dry and too ugh. I just HAD to add a little all-purpose flour to keep it soft and smooth and cakey (is that a word?).
Apart from that, I also had to add some cheddar because they taste so good with cheddar and because corn and cheddar are like lovers. You can’t separate them. It would be a national tragedy. Seriously. If you want to be so mean to separate them go ahead my friend. They will still turn out just fine. With a broken heart of course, but fine ;)
How to keep cornbread muffins moist
So in order for cornbread muffins to stay moist we first have to get them to be moist in the first place, right? You need to get a precise dry to liquid ratio in the batter. Too much liquid and they will be all soggy. Too little liquid and they’ll be grainy and dry and fall apart.
I found it easiest to add a little liquid (milk) and then make sure to achieve the perfect moistness with sour cream. Sour cream also gives them an amazing flavour and adds a lot of protein. So does the cheese. The cheese’s fat adds to the moistness of the muffins.
If you leave them out, make sure to add maybe half a tablespoon of oil. The fat/oil is responsible for “keeping” the muffins moist later. Store the muffins in an airtight container in the fridge and you will have moist muffins for as long as they last.
How to keep cornbread muffins from sticking to the muffin tin
This applies to any kind of muffin but especially cornbread muffins because the batter is so dense and sticky. Add liners. No need to buy pretty and/or expensive liners. Just cut a piece of parchment paper into squares and then press them into each hole. Press into the sides to crease where necessary and then add the batter.
The weight of the batter will keep the “liners” in place and besides it’s even easier to peel off the muffins later than a regular store-bought liner ;)
I made these muffins for a Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup that is absolutely delishious!!
Cheddar Cornbread Muffins
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup corn meal
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 egg
- 1/2 Tbsp honey
- 1/3-1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (mild if children are eating)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C).
- Add cornmeal, milk and sour cream to a pan and stir until well combined. Heat over medium heat until it starts bubbling while constantly stirring.
- Remove from heat, add to a bowl and continue stirring until it cools down to room temperature. Set aside.
- In a small bowl whisk all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt together.
- The corn batter should be cool enough to add the egg without it scrambling. Add the honey and the egg and stir fast (just in case).
- Add flour/baking powder/salt mixture to corn batter.
- Fold in shredded cheddar.
- Line a mini muffin tin with parchment paper and divide the batter evenly.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes until the tops juuuust start browning. Insert a tooth pick to make sure they are cooked inside.
- Let cool in the muffin tin for the moisture to redistribute into the muffin instead of evaporating.
- Enjoy by itself or dipped into a delicious soup.
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Marie says
im a little confused. I doubled the recipe to make 16 mini muffins and it makes way more than that. The picture looks more like regular sized muffins… did you use a regular muffin tin or a small one?
Lorena says
Hi Marie, I’ve noticed that my small muffin tin is bigger than the mini muffin tins I’ve seen in shops lately. I assumed it was a mini muffin tin because it’s much smaller than my regular 12-muffin tin. I will have to clarify in the post. Thank you for reminding me!
Jess says
Could his recipe be used to make corn bread instead? If so, would any changes need to be made? Should I line the pan w parchment to avoid it sticking?
Lorena says
Hi Jess, yes definitely, you could use it to make corn bread. Parchment paper sounds like a good idea. The only change will be the cooking time. It’ll need more time in the oven. I can’t tell you how much longer though. I’d recommend, same temp and start with the time used for the muffins and then check every 5 minutes with a tooth pick to see if the center is cooked :)
Julia says
I love that you use sour cream in this recipe. Such a wonderful ingredient that is not use sunscreen often unfortunately. They look so yummy!
Lorena says
Thank you so much for your lovely comment Julia!
Em says
Hi, what is the honey for?
thank you
Lorena says
Just for taste. No chemical reason. When a recipe calls for baking soda and honey the honey tends to be necessary for the chemical reaction but in this case I’m using baking powder which works in itself. You can leave it out if you don’t like it. I like that it counteracts the acidity of the sour cream a tiny little bit :)
Em says
Hi Lorena, thank you for your answer. I made them, without the honey… I just read your message.
Because I didn’t have sour cream I used fage yogurt instead, they came out delicious, moist and a bit airy. Will definitely make them again and this time I will add the honey. Best cornbread muffins recipe I have ever tried. Thank you!
Lorena says
Wheee! Greek Yogurt is a great alternative! I’m so so so happy you liked the recipe ? Comments like yours make my day!! Thank you for coming back and commenting!!
Em says
; ) I had to come back and comment. I really liked the recipe very much. Thanks again
Lorena says
Thank you so much for coming back Em!! So very kind of you to let me know you like it :D
MPaula says
Just wanted to let you know that the egg is not in the list of ingredients. I have all the ingredients, though, and was thinking of making soup tonight. Now I will have these muffins with it.
Lorena says
Thank you for noticing and telling me Paula. Just corrected the mistake. How did you like them? :)
Taylor @ The Girl on Bloor says
Okay, I’m going to have a *blogger moment* and say how much I LOVE that wood background. Such beautiful photos!
Lorena says
Thank you Taylor!! ? You won’t believe what that background is. It is a veeery old chess board but turned the wrong way. I found it in an antiques shop that was selling everything to close its shop for 20 bucks ;)
Silvia @ Garden in the Kitchen says
Oh I forgot how much I love corn muffin ’til just now. Lovely Lorena :)
Lorena says
Thank you Silvia!!! ?