Spicy Cheddar Corn Muffins
I made these savory Spicy Cheddar Corn Muffins to accompany the Tortilla Soup I was cooking up for yet another Instagram cooking challenge. Truth be told, I usually opt for sweet cornbread. I enjoy the indulgence of having something sweet along side a spicy meal, and savory cornbread can sometimes be disappointedly dry and bland due to the lack of sugar. But the simple extra step of pre-cooking part of the cornmeal (a trick I learned from this Cooks Illustrated recipe) adds back that missing moisture, and with the addition of sharp cheddar, spicy scallions and jalapeño, they deliver high-impact flavor as well. Try these rich corn muffins along side a tomato bisque, southwestern style salad, or grilled steak.
For best flavor and texture, use full fat cheese, milk, sour cream and/or yogurt. The fat content brings out flavor and keep the muffins from being dry – these muffins aren’t meant to be health food ;)
Cheddar Scallion Corn Muffins Recipe:
Yield:
12 muffins
Difficulty:
Easy
Ingredients:
1 cup (8 TBSP) unsalted butter
250 grams (2 cups) finely ground cornmeal, divided
1¼ cup buttermilk* or whole milk
125 grams (1 cup) all purpose flour
1½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1¼ tsp table salt
½ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp ground, dry mustard
¼ tsp chili powder
¼ tsp cayenne powder
3 TBSP granulated sugar
½ cup sour cream
½ cup whole milk greek yogurt
170 grams (1½ cups) shredded sharp cheddar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 scallions thinly sliced*
1 jalapeño seeded and diced
*No buttermilk? Make your own by measuring out 1¼ cup whole milk, remove 1 TBSP pus 1 tsp and add back 1 TBSP pus 1 tsp lemon juice. Let sit for 15 minutes while you melt and cool your butter.
**If you don’t use the jalapeño, I recommend using 5 scallions instead of 3.
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425°F
Grease a 12-cup standard muffin tin including the top of the tin.
In a medium size saucepan with a heavy bottom, melt the butter then transfer to a large bowl to cool a bit. (You’ll be adding more ingredients to this bowl.)
In a medium bowl, whisk together 190 grams (1½ cups) cornmeal, flour, baking powder baking soda, sugar, salt, pepper, mustard, chili powder, cayenne, and sugar.
In the same saucepan that previously had the butter, combine buttermilk (or whole milk) and remaining cornmeal over a medium heat, whisking until the mixture simmers and thickens. About 5 minutes. Transfer the cornmeal mixture to the bowl with the butter and whisk together. Whisk in sour cream until combined. Continue to whisk and add in eggs, cheddar, scallions and jalapeño until thoroughly combined.
Create a well in the middle of the wet ingredients and add in the dry ingredients and fold together until just combined and there are no dry spots of flour. It will be a very thick mixture.
Divide batter evenly among muffin wells. If using a muffin scoop it will be about a scoop and a half, peaking above the rim of the tin.
Bake 14-18 minutes, rotating halfway through, until golden brown and the tops look dry and set. Remove from oven and let cool in the muffin tin for 5 minutes before inverting tin to remove. These muffins are best served warm.
Store well wrapped at room temperature. Refresh any leftover muffins for 15 minutes in the microwave or wrapped in foil for 5-7 minutes in a 350° F oven.
PS. My favorite recipe for sweet cornbread is this simple one.
