Cheesy Cornbread Muffins With Hot Honey Butter
Smoky chipotle takes these muffins into savory territory, but this recipe can be used purely as a blueprint: Want them a bit sweeter? Lose the minced chipotle chiles, and increase the sugar by a couple of tablespoons. Need them to hold up to a heavily spiced pot of chili? Double the chipotles en adobo, add 1/4 cup minced red onion and a dash of ground cumin, onion powder or garlic, perhaps. Whatever you add, don’t overmix: Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined (a few lumps are O.K.) before folding in the cheese for muffins that are rich but not dense.
- Total:
- Serves: 12 persons
Ingredients
- ½cup/115 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), softened
- 3tablespoons honey
- 1 ½teaspoons chipotle en adobo sauce
- Unsalted butter, for greasing the pan
- 1 ¼cups/195 grams medium cornmeal
- 1cup/130 grams all-purpose flour
- ¼cup/50 grams granulated sugar
- 2 ½teaspoons baking powder
- ¾teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ¼teaspoons black pepper
- 1teaspoon kosher salt
- ½cup/115 grams unsalted butter (1 stick)
- ⅔cup/160 milliliters whole milk
- ½cup/120 milliliters sour cream
- 2large eggs
- 2tablespoons minced chiles en adobo (optional)
- 1cup/115 grams grated sharp white Cheddar (about 3 ounces)
- 3tablespoons very thinly sliced scallions or chives
- Sliced jalapeño, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Step 1
Prepare the hot honey butter: In a small bowl, stir 1/2 cup/1 stick softened butter with the honey and chipotle en adobo sauce. Refrigerate while muffins bake.Step 2
Heat the oven to 400 degrees, and generously grease the cups of a 12-cup muffin tin.Step 3
In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, pepper and salt.Step 4
In a small saucepan, melt the remaining 1/2 cup/1 stick softened butter over low heat. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, sour cream, eggs, melted butter and the minced chipotle chiles, if using.Step 5
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and stir using a rubber spatula until almost combined but still a little lumpy. Fold in the Cheddar and scallions, and stir until just combined.Step 6
Transfer the muffin batter in 1/4-cup portions to the prepared muffin tin. Top each muffin with a jalapeño slice, if desired, and bake until the tops are golden and the muffins are cooked through, about 18 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes in the muffin tins before carefully transferring to a wire rack, running a knife around the rims to release the muffins, if necessary. Serve warm or at room temperature, with honey butter.