The ideal side dish for chili, ribs, or BBQ chicken is these moist, buttery, and sweet cornbread muffins. My children like them to the point that I have to continually shoo their tiny hands away from the bread basket to prevent them from filling up before the main meal.
To achieve the cake-like consistency in this recipe, you must use fine- or medium-ground cornmeal; coarse cornmeal tends to result in cornbread that is grittier and crumblier. But the cornmeal shouldn’t be a fine powder.
Unfortunately, different brands don’t all indicate the grind size, but I’ve found Quaker and Bob’s Red Mill to be trustworthy mass-market selections. I also toss in additional all-purpose flour to give the muffins a little more structure and lessen their propensity to crumble. I add a dollop of sour cream to the batter along with the creamed corn to give it some extra creaminess and a welcome tang.
You can also incorporate some mix-ins just to spice things up. As long as the flavorings and mix-ins are low in moisture and have low acidity, feel free to incorporate them. Adding components that are high moisture or very acidic can severely impact the structure and texture of the muffins. Some of my preferred additions include grated cheddar cheese and chopped pimientos, brown butter and sage, and thinly sliced scallions.
As opposed to using paper cupcake liners, I like to lightly oil my nonstick or aluminum muffin tins before adding the batter. With the aid of a little offset spatula, the muffins could still be removed without difficulty, and the tins were in reasonable condition for dishwashing.
The temperature at which you decide to bake the muffins is all down to personal preference. The recipe made muffins with a somewhat taller rise and golden brown bottoms and sides when baked at 425°F (220°C). The tops, however, were more cracked than those of muffins baked at 177°C (350°F). An additional benefit of the lower temperature was a softer crumb.
They are best served freshly baked and warm, topped with melted butter. Extra baked muffins can be put into a resealable bag and stored in the freezer for about three months. To reheat, defrost them completely at room temperature, wrap them in foil (to prevent drying), and bake them at 350°F until heated through. Alternately, cover the muffins in a moist paper towel and warm them in the microwave for 15 seconds at a time.
Ingredients
● 1 1/4 cups, spooned (155g), all-purpose flour
● 1 cup (146g) fine- or medium-ground yellow cornmeal, such as Bob’s Red Mill
● 1/4 cup (57g) granulated sugar
● one tablespoon (12g) of baking powder
● one teaspoon of salt
● eight tablespoons (113g) unsalted butter, melted
● two large eggs
● 1 cup (260g) canned cream-style sweet corn
● 1/2 cup whole milk
● 1/4 cup sour cream
● Nonstick cooking spray for greasing the muffin pan
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C), with the rack in the middle position. Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing basin.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine melted butter, eggs, creamed corn, milk, and sour cream until smooth.
3. Whisk together the wet and dry ingredients until completely blended. Avoid over-mixing.
4. Coat a 12-cup nonstick or aluminum muffin pan lightly with cooking spray. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, about 76g (5 tablespoons) each, and gently tap the pan on the counter to spread out the batter. This is enough batter to almost entirely fill each cup, but don’t worry; it will rise but spread very little overall.
5. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the cornbread is firm to the touch and light golden in color, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow cooling for 5 minutes before removing each muffin from the pan using a little offset spatula. Serve hot.