This jalapeño cheddar cornbread is the BEST. It’s the perfect complement to chili or barbecue, or great for snacking on by itself! You can make classic skillet cornbread or make it into cornbread muffins!
Cornbread muffins are the perfect side dish for soup like my favorite creamy white chicken chili!
The secret to this cornbread is lightly sautéing the onion, jalapeño, garlic, and corn. You can skip this step if you’re feeling lazy but I promise that those few extra minutes will add extra depth and flavor to the finished product!
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Ingredient Notes
- Cornmeal - There are several different types of cornmeal (this is a great article that breaks it down) but for these muffins I recommend using either fine or medium ground cornmeal. You should be able to find it next to the flour in the baking aisle! Do NOT use self-rising cornmeal as it will make your muffins rise too much.
- Buttermilk - If you don't have buttermilk you can use either regular whole milk or sour cream! You can also make your own buttermilk by using 1 cup whole milk and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice!
- Honey - Just a little bit of honey adds the right amount of sweetness to the cornbread.
- Corn - This is optional, but I love adding whole corn kernels to cornbread! Fresh, frozen, or canned corn all work well.
- Onion and garlic - Sautéing aromatics like onion and garlic with the jalapenos adds so much flavor to the muffins!
- Jalapenos - 2 whole jalapenos is a little on the spicy side, so feel free to remove the seeds for a little less heat.
- Cheddar cheese - I prefer sharp white cheddar, but use whatever you like best! I also recommend using blocks of cheese as opposed to pre-shredded cheese because it melts more smoothly.
How to Make Cornbread Muffins
You can make this cornbread in a large cast iron skillet, or a lined muffin tin!
Preheat oven to 400°F.
In a medium skillet, sauté the onions and jalapenos in 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add the garlic, corn, and green onions and sauté for about 5 more minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
In a medium sized bowl, mix together the flour, corn meal, baking powder, salt, and cayenne.
Add in the egg, honey, buttermilk, and the rest of the butter and mix until fully combined. It's okay if the batter is still a little lumpy.
Stir in the sautéed corn and peppers the white cheddar cheese.
Fill the muffin liners with batter (about ⅓ cup).
If desired, top with an extra sprinkle of cheese and a slice of jalapeno.
Bake at 400°F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and fluffy. An inserted toothpick should come out mostly clean (may be crumby but not wet).
Tips for the Best Baked Goods
Use room temperature ingredients! Always make sure ingredients like butter, eggs, milk, yogurt, etc. are at room temperature before baking (unless the recipe indicates otherwise)! This ensures they'll incorporate into the batter more easily and leads to overall better texture. Remove all ingredients from the fridge 30 minutes to an hour before baking for best results.
Measure your flour correctly! It's most accurate to use a kitchen scale, but if you're measuring by volume you want to spoon and level! Fluff up the flour a bit with a spoon, and then spoon flour into the measuring cup. Once it's overflowing, use the back of a knife to level it off. Don't ever pack flour into the measuring cup or you'll end up with way too much! Improperly measured flour can lead to dry, dense baked goods. [Measure cocoa powder the same way!]
Use an oven thermometer! Just because your oven says it's 350, doesn't mean it is! If you oven hasn't been calibrated recently, it can be as much as 30 degrees off, which will negatively affect all baked goods from cakes to macarons! An oven thermometer is the easiest/cheapest way to ensure your oven is always at the proper temperature.
Make sure you baking powder is fresh! Baking powder is important for helping baked goods rise properly, but it has a relatively short shelf life once opened, so it's one of the few items I never buy in bulk! To test if your baking powder is still fresh, add a small amount to boiling water. If it bubbles it's still good to use, but if not it's time to toss it!
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Recipe Card
Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread Muffins
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 medium jalapenos, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1 cup corn kernels , about one 15 ounce can
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup corn meal
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1 large egg, beaten
- ¼ cup honey, optional
- 1 cup buttermilk, substitute whole milk + 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 8 ounces white cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- In a medium skillet, sauté the onions and jalapenos in 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add the garlic, corn, and green onions and sauté for about 5 more minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, mix together the flour, corn meal, baking powder, salt, and cayenne.
- Add in the egg, honey, buttermilk, and the rest of the butter and mix until fully combined. It's okay if the batter is still a little lumpy.
- Stir in the sautéed corn and peppers the white cheddar cheese.
- Fill the muffin liners with batter (about ⅓ cup).
- If desired, top with an extra sprinkle of cheese and a slice of jalapeno.
- Bake at 400°F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and fluffy. An inserted toothpick should come out mostly clean (may be crumby but not wet).
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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