Cornbread Muffin Recipe - Dessert for Two (2024)

Published: by Christina Lane · This post may contain affiliate links · 43 Comments

Cornbread muffins are light, fluffy and a perfect side dish to any cold weather dinner. This is a small batch recipe for just 6 corn muffins. You can double it for a larger batch and add any flavors you wish!

Cornbread Muffin Recipe - Dessert for Two (1)

These Cornbread Muffins are the perfect addition to Chili season

With chili season upon us, we have a big need for a small batch of cornbread muffins. If you've wisely made my ground beef chili for two, these corn muffins are the perfect thing for dunking. They're also great alongside my instant pot taco soup or vegan black bean burrito bowls. And to be honest, I love a cornbread muffin dripping with butter for breakfast, and so do my kids--a fried egg with one of these is savory breakfast heaven!

Also, if you're making my Southern cornbread dressing as part of my Thanksgiving for two, this is the base for it!

This corn muffins recipe is special because you can use stone-ground cornmeal, if you prefer. Since the batter is cut with regular flour, it can handle some stone-ground cornmeal, but regular cornmeal is totally fine, too! I've even used blue corn meal with beautiful results.

Cornbread Muffin Recipe - Dessert for Two (2)

Corn Muffins Recipe ingredients

Besides buttermilk, I always have the ingredients for this recipe on hand. You'll need:

  • cornmeal
  • all-purpose flour
  • granulated sugar
  • baking powder (make sure to use aluminum-free baking powder for baking)
  • baking soda
  • fine sea salt
  • one large egg
  • buttermilk (can substitute milk with a splash of vinegar)
  • melted butter

Corn Muffin Recipe variations

These corn muffins are great with these modifications:

  • stir in some grated aged cheddar and ½ teaspoon chili powder
  • stir in pickled jalapeño or fresh jalapeño slices (add up to 1 tablespoon of pickled jalapeño juice)
  • leftover crumbled bacon is welcome (up to 2 tablespoons)
  • fresh herbs like chives, cilantro or even thyme are great stirred in

Cornbread Muffin Recipe - Dessert for Two (3)

How to make Corn Muffins

  1. First, whisk together the dry ingredients: the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  2. Next, stir together the wet ingredients: the egg, buttermilk and melted butter.
  3. Combine the ingredients, adding any additional flavor options (below) that you may like.
  4. Line the muffin pan with liners, but also spray the inside of those liners with cooking spray--cornbread is sticky!
  5. Bake in a 400-degrees F oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the muffins are done.

Cornbread Muffin Recipe tips

My best tip for making cornbread muffins is spraying the liners with a small amount of cooking spray before adding the batter. This prevents the muffins falling apart right when they’re done.

My method for allowing the batter to rest for 15 minutes before baking ensures that the cornmeal soaks up the liquid ingredients. This way, your cornbread muffins are always moist and never dry!

What to serve with Corn Muffins from Scratch

I have never met a bowl of chili that didn’t love a corn muffin alongside! My best main dishes that love corn muffins are:

Cornbread Muffin Recipe - Dessert for Two (4)

How to store Corn Bread Muffins

In our house, these 6 muffins happily feel like just enough cornbread for two, but in my single days, I would freeze half of the muffins for another night. If you freeze half, make sure you label them in a freezer-safe bag, because it's not fun finding random muffins in the freezer and not knowing if they're savory or sweet--been there, done that!

Cornbread is one of the many reasons I always keep buttermilk in my fridge. For ways to use up leftover buttermilk, try these recipes:

  • Lemon Buttermilk Pudding Cakes
  • Tamale Pie
  • Small batch Blueberry Muffins
  • Red Velvet Cake and Red Velvet Cupcakes
  • Cakes without Egg recipes

Yield: 6

Corn Bread Muffins

Cornbread Muffin Recipe - Dessert for Two (5)

Cornbread muffin recipe that makes a small batch of just 6 muffins.

Ingredients

  • ½ cup cornmeal
  • ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • ¾ teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
  • ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • ½ cup buttermilk
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and ensure a rack is placed in the center position.
  2. Place 6 muffin cup liners in a muffin pan, and then spray the liners lightly with cooking spray--cornbread is sticky stuff!
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  4. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk and melted butter.
  5. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients, let set for one minute before scooping it into muffin cups and baking for 12-15 minutes. The muffins are done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Serve immediately with extra butter.

Notes

1. You can use blue corn, white corn, or regular yellow cornmeal here. Stone ground cornmeal is welcome, too, since we're cutting it with flour.

2. My favorite buttermilk substitute is milk with a splash of vinegar. Use the same amount of milk as the recipe calls for, and splash in 1 teaspoon per cup of milk.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving:Calories: 132Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 259mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 1gSugar: 5gProtein: 3g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

More Small Batch Bread Recipes

  • Cranberry Orange Nut Bread
  • Classic Southern Dressing Recipe
  • Homemade Cinnamon Rolls (No Yeast)
  • One Banana Bread

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kathleen says

    I doubled the recipe because I have a muffin tin with large cups (bakery size) and also substituted regular table salt. They came out perfect. Has anyone tried this recipe substituting maple syrup or honey for the sugar? If so what is the measurement conversion? Thank you.

    Reply

  2. Mary B. says

    We had corn on the cob last night, so I immediately thought of this recipe as we had a leftover cob. I sliced off the kernels and tossed them into the batter. Can't wait for brekky!

    Reply

  3. Cindy says

    Fantastic! I added a bit of shredded cheese and chopped jarred jalapeños. Was a hugh hit with my hubby. Thanks!

    Reply

  4. Barb Hanson says

    I made these last week to go with Black Bean chili and they were light and moist. Perfect. Question, why do you recommend aluminum-free baking powder?

    Reply

  5. Cathie Johnson says

    Love your website & these muffins... made them to go with my Black-Eyed Peas for New Year's Dinner!

    Reply

  6. JJ says

    Christina saves the day again! Needed a small batch cornbread to go with dinner for just the 2 of us. So of course I go right to the source, Christina. This was excellent perfect amount of sweet, corn, moist, goodness.

    Reply

  7. Agatha says

    Used avacado oil instead of butter, reduced sugar to 1/2 tsp., used unsweetened soy milk with a 1/4 tsp. of apple cider vinegar instead of buttermilk. And couldn't find my soda, so used a slightly rounded full teaspon of baking powder. They turned out well. Most corn muffin recipes that use white flour and corn meal use equal amounts of both. I like that this tilts the balance in favor of corn meal. And six muffins is plenty.

    Reply

  8. Valerie says

    I used a regular cupcake tin, and got 10 little cupcakes. They came out great!

    Reply

  9. Miss M says

    The cornbread muffins were perfect with a few changes.. I did not have buttermilk but I had buttermilk powder so I put 2 Tbsp. buttermilk powder in the dry ingredients and used 1/2 c water. I also reduced the sugar to 1 Tbsp. I sprayed the muffin tin and put 1/2 tsp salted butter in each cup(no liners). I put the pan in the oven to get the pan and butter hot to create crusty bottoms and sides. When it was smoking hot, the batter was dished into the 6 cups. The batter was thinner than I expected but went with it and that was the best. This was a perfect size batch for us old empty nesters. Thanks for a great recipe!

    Reply

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Cornbread Muffin Recipe - Dessert for Two (2024)

FAQs

Why do my cornbread muffins fall apart? ›

Avoid over-mixing the batter.

Cornbread batter should still be lumpy when you put it in the oven. If you are mixing it until it's smooth like cake batter, that could be the cause of your crumbly cornbread! Stop blending as soon as all the ingredients are mixed together.

What pairs well with cornbread? ›

10 Ways To Enjoy Cornbread That Aren't Chili
  • CAROLINA-STYLE PULLED PORK.
  • CUMIN CHILI GRILLED CHICKEN WINGS.
  • BOURBON-BROWN SUGAR GLAZED BABY BACK RIBS.
  • CORNBREAD AND SAUSAGE DRESSING WITH PECANS.
  • SAVORY CORNBREAD PUDDING WITH BACON, LEEKS AND SAGE.
  • MINI CORN MUFFINS WITH ROASTED GARLIC AND FRESH HERBS.
  • CLASSIC FRIED CHICKEN.
Apr 11, 2024

What is the best cornmeal for cornbread? ›

As for the best cornmeal for cornbread, either fine- or medium-grind cornmeal is a great choice. Medium-grind cornmeal will bring slightly more texture and grittiness to the batter, which you may or may not want (it's up to you!). You can use fine or medium cornmeal in these extra corny muffins.

What ingredient prevents muffins from falling apart? ›

How do you keep muffins from falling apart? It's gluten. See, to a baker, gluten holds the whole world together.

What to add to cornbread mix to make it better? ›

24 Things To Add to Jiffy Cornbread Mix to Make It Even Better
  1. ⅓ cup white sugar + ¼ cup brown sugar + ⅓ cup sour cream + 4 tablespoons melted butter + 1 tablespoon vanilla.
  2. 1 tablespoon oil, melted butter, or browned butter.
  3. ½ cup mayonnaise.
  4. ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt.
  5. 3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup.
Dec 18, 2022

Why does my corn muffin taste bitter? ›

That slightly bitter, kinda “tinny” flavor you often experience when biting into a muffin, biscuit or scone is the result of using a baking powder in high quantities — as is needed for these quick-rise treats — with aluminum in it.

What are the black specks in corn muffin mix? ›

The black specks are simply naturally dark pieces of the pericarp (skin) of the corn, where the tip of the kernel attaches to the cob. The color of the specks will vary by crop and year. They are the same as those commonly seen in hard taco shells, corn or tortilla chips, cornmeal, and natural whole corn products.

Can you use water in corn muffin mix instead of milk? ›

Can I substitute water for milk in cornbread mix? Yes, you can, but it may result in a less rich flavor. If you're out of milk, try using cream or half-and-half, evaporated or powdered milk, or even plain yogurt. If you have dietary restrictions, try soy milk or oat milk.

Is cornbread good for your bowels? ›

Is cornbread hard to digest? A. Cornbread contains fibre, which is not easily digested or absorbed by the body and passes through the digestive system relatively intact. Fibre also controls bowel motions by softening and increasing the weight and size of the stool, all of which make it easier to pass stool.

Is cornbread good for your stomach? ›

Cornbread can help improve digestion.

Fiber also helps food to pass quickly through the intestines. Cornbread is also made with whole-grain cornmeal. So, it boasts even more digestive-friendly benefits.

Is cornbread a side or dessert? ›

Homemade cornbread can be easily made and added as a side for most meals. Ingredients such as flour can be substituted for whole wheat flour and kernels of corn can be added for more flavor. Bake your mix as a loaf, single layer, or muffins. Each option can serve as an on the go snack.

What is the difference between New York cornbread and Southern cornbread? ›

While both styles generally use the same ingredients -- cornmeal, flour, eggs, and baking powder -- the variance lies in the flavor and texture. Northern-style cornbread tends to be sweeter, moister, and cake-like compared to its Southern counterpart.

Is Jiffy cornbread the same as cornmeal? ›

Are cornmeal and cornbread mix the same thing? No, but cornmeal is one of the ingredients present in cornbread mix. The mix will have additional ingredients like flour, sugar, and salt for additional body and flavor, as well as a leavening agent like baking soda for a fluffier texture.

Can I substitute mayo for milk in cornbread? ›

You can decide of course whether or not you will be using the egg whites, yolk, or the entire egg. Add 1/3 cup of mayonnaise to the egg bowl. As shocking as it may seem, mayonnaise is a perfect substitute for milk when making cornbread for the lactose intolerant.

How do you keep muffins from falling apart? ›

This step is even more critical if you've oiled the pan and your muffins are not in a paper liner. Allowing them to cool slightly in the pan before removing them will help keep them from falling apart. This being said, you only want to leave them in the pan for a short amount of time—about five minutes.

How to stop cornbread from being crumbly? ›

More flour makes it less crumbly. If you're using too high a proportion of corn meal, the bread doesn't have enough gluten to hold it together. Try using less cornmeal and more flour.

What to do with muffins that fall apart? ›

Leftover Muffin Bread Pudding

Bread pudding with muffins is simple to prepare. Just crumble the muffins (if they aren't a big mess already!), mix them with eggs, milk, and sweetener, and bake! You can assemble a delicious dessert or breakfast in minutes.

Why did my muffins break? ›

Do you have any hacks to make sure the muffins come out well, moist, and don't crack? If your muffins are coming out with cracks on top and dry texture, then your oven temperature is too high. Get an oven thermometer to check your oven temperature and adjust the setting accordingly.

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