Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread Muffins

With summer behind us, and the air getting crispier, I am starting to get excited about all the comfort foods that come with the cooler weather. And to me, cornbread is such a classic Autumn bake that works wonders on a gloomy day.

Inspired by my Buttermilk Cornbread Muffins and Honey Cornbread with Greek Yogurt, these delicious cornbread muffins are by far the best cornbread you could possibly come up with.

You get the sweetness coming from the maple syrup and sugar, then the savoury touch from the sharp cheddar cheese, and the spicy kick coming from the pickled jalapenos. It might sound like a weird combo, but trust me, it works so well.

You could, by all means, use fresh jalapenos, but I really love the pickled ones, I always have a jar of them around, and I tend to add them to a lot of dishes, they are just incredibly flavourful and are spicy, but not overpowering.

The result is a beautiful moist cornbread that springs back nicely when you touch it, and that's how you know it's baked to perfection. Don't believe me, just bake!

Ingredients used

• cornmeal - I used coarse cornmeal and not corn flour, it's the same stuff you make polenta with
• flour - plain or regular flour is all we need
• butter - at room temperature, I like using salted butter for my bakes, it adds extra flavour
• eggs -use large eggs for this recipe
• jalapenos- I chpped some of them to go into the batter, and kept some sliced ones to top the muffins
• bicarbonate of soda - it's the raising agent
• maple syrup - for a touch of Fall and sweetness
• cheddar cheese - in the UK cheddar cheese is always a pale yellow colour, rather than orange, I used mature cheddar to get extra flavour
• sugar - granulated or caster work well
• buttermilk - it's where the moisture is coming from, it works together with the bicarb of soda to create fluffy, well risen muffins

Easy swaps

Pickled jalapenos can be swapped for fresh ones, or indeed any other chillies of your choice, it doesn't have to be jalapenos. Depending on the type of chillies used, the cornbread muffins will have a different level of spiciness.

Maple syrup can be swapped for honey or any other syrup of your choice: golden syrup, agave nectar and so on. Buttermilk can be swapped for full-fat milk, but in that case, I would also add a teaspoon of baking powder to the muffins.

Step-by-step photos and instructions

• in a large mixing bowl, add the soft butter and sugar, and use a hand mixer to beat them together until creamy
• add the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition

• sift in the flour, add the cornmeal, chopped jalapenos, grated cheddar cheese, maple syrup and bicarb of soda, and use a spatula to mix them together into a batter
• divide the batter evenly between every muffin case, and top them with a sliced jalapeno
• bake for 20 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenhein)

Expert tips

I used silicone muffin cases and I must say, they work incredibly well, the muffins are super easy to pop out, they do not stick at all, and they keep their shape so well. If you can find some, I highly recommend you invest in some, they are pretty cheap too.

After the eggs are added to the creamed butter and sugar, it might look like the mixture has split and it's curdling, but that's absolutely fine, it won't change the texture of the muffins.

Make sure the oven is well preheated before you pop the muffins in, the bicarb of soda and buttermilk start working their magic straight away, and a well heated oven makes the difference between moist and light muffins, and dry and hard ones.

Recipe FAQs