Brown Butter Honey Cornbread Muffins

These brown butter honey cornbread muffins have a light and fluffy cornbread base topped with whipped honey butter and flaky sea salt! They're the perfect side dish to classic southern comfort foods like chili, barbecue, or fried chicken!

Course Bread, Side

Cuisine American, Southern

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings muffins

Calories 252kcal

Author Kyleigh Sage

Equipment

Ingredients

Cornbread Muffins

1 ½ cups all purpose flour
¾ cup yellow cornmeal fine or medium ground
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup unsalted brown butter melted
¾ cup honey (reduce to ½ cup for less sweet)
1 cup whole milk
2 large eggs room temperature

Whipped Honey Butter

½ cup unsalted brown butter room temperature
1 tablespoon honey more to taste
½ teaspoon flaky sea salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cornbread Muffins

Preheat the oven to 375°F and spray a nonstick muffin pan with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
In a separate large bowl, whisk together the melted brown butter and honey. Then whisk in the milk and eggs until fully combined and smooth.
Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. It's okay if the batter is still a little lumpy.
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan and fill the muffin cups about ¾ full.
Bake at 375°F for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (it may be crumby but not wet). Rotate the pan about halfway through baking so that the muffins brown evenly.
Remove the muffins and let cool on wire rack (they'll get soggy if you leave them in the muffin pan). Cornbread muffins are best served immediately while they're still warm!
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Whipped Honey Butter

These brown butter cornbread muffins are delicious on their own, but even better when slathered with some whipped honey butter and flaky sea salt!
In a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the room temperature brown butter, honey, and flaky sea salt until combined. Taste and add more honey or salt if desired.
Increase the speed and whip for 3-4 minutes or until the honey butter is light and fluffy!
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Notes

To Freeze: Wrap the cornbread muffins indivuvally and then store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let thaw at room temperature before reheating. Reheat in the oven at 350°F for about 10 minutes or until warmed.

Mini Muffins: Reduce the baking time to 12-5 minutes.

Cast Iron Cornbread: Pour the batter into a greased cast iron skillet and bake at 375°F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (it may be crumby but not wet).

To Make Brown Butter: Melt unsalted butter over medium heat, stirring frequently. Watch closely for the butter to develop brown specs and a nutty aroma. Once you start seeing brown specs, let cook for just a few seconds longer (watch very carefully or it will burn). Remove from the heat and pour into a small bowl so that it doesn't continue to cook. Set aside and let cool for about 20 minutes in the fridge until soft and pliable. Note: For every ½ cup (1 stick or 113g), you'll lose about 1 tablespoon (14g) to evaporation while cooking. So you can either add in an extra 1 tablespoon before browning, or if you're browning big batches, just make up the weight difference in your recipe with regular unsalted butter if needed.

Nutrition