Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread
Homemade Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread is golden, cheesy, spicy, and just a little sweet, and is the ultimate upgrade from basic boxed cornbread.
Servings: 12
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Yellow Cornmeal (fine or medium ground)
- 1 cup Flour
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Honey
- 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 4 Tablespoons Butter (melted)
- 1/4 cup Oil (canola, vegetable, olive, avocado)
- 1 cup Milk (whole, 2%, or buttermilk)
- 1 large Egg
- 1 large Egg Yolk
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup Pickled Jarred Jalapenos (finely chopped)
- 1 1/4 cup Grated Cheddar Cheese
Optional:
- Honey Butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 8x8-inch or 9x9-inch square baking dish or a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper or grease or spray with non-stick cooking spray. Even if I am using parchment paper, I lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray. For this recipe, I use a 8x8-inch baking pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add melted butter, oil, milk, honey, egg, and egg yolk and mix until smooth. Stir gently until just combined. Be careful not to overmix—this ensures a tender crumb. Let the batter sit for 5–10 minutes to allow the cornmeal to soften and incorporate with the wet ingredients.
- Pat the jalapenos dry with a paper towel before adding them to the batter. Stir in 1 cup of grated cheese, reserving 1/4 cup for the top. You can also place whole pickled jalapenos on top as well for extra spice.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese. Bake for 30-36 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Watch carefully because you don't want to overbake cornbread.
- Allow the cornbread to cool for about 10 minutes before slicing. Serve warm with butter or honey or homemade honey butter. An optional step is to melt 2-3 Tablespoons of butter and brush on the top of the cornbread when you remove it from the oven. This adds moisture and buttery flavor.
Notes
If you want to make homemade honey butter, you need less of it than classic cornbread since this is a more savory version. I suggest softening 4 Tablespoons of butter and stirring in 2 Tablespoons of honey.
