When I was a kid, my mom would make the Jiffy box muffins* and we all loved them. We were always excited when she made them, they were special. My dad and I would pour maple syrup over those warm cornbread muffins and shovel ‘em in. What?!, maple syrup, that’s weird and/or gross, you’re thinking. Really, try it before you knock it, it’s quite delicious! Ugh, now I really want those!
Sadly I can’t eat any cornbread muffins. Or corn.
A life-long allergy sufferer, mmmph mmph years ago I went in for yet another allergy test, this instance being a blood test unbeknownst to me ahead of time. I am needle-no-thanks person but I somehow choked through it. Good thing I did.
Along with the myriad of usual suspects, corn came back a ringer. Huh, ok, I remember thinking, whatever, and kept eating corn things.
I don’t react immediately, it’s not an emergency situation; it’s a series of delayed onset reactions. Definitely by the next morning I’m a giant cramp and then by the day after I have an allergy-cold thing going on, I’m sick.
They also said a mild milk and/or peanut, or both or one I can’t remember but I brushed that off, pfft c’mon, no thanks. Although I’m thinking it may be peanut because ooof, dinner had peanut butter in it and ouch, my insides hurt today. That sucks too, jeez louise!
As years went on, I was sick more and more often so one day I decided to eliminate everything corn completely. I have hardly been sick since.
Talk about a sucky allergy to have though. Think about it — how many things have corn in them? Aaaaa lot. A lot. And sneaky corn too, like soluble corn fiber or corn oil or corn treasure or corn surprise, some such corn travesty. It’s freakin’ everywhere.
Tortilla chips. Tacos, if served only on corn tortillas. Corn on the cob. Certain pizzas. Cornmeal breading. Corn soups. Popcorn. A vast majority of cereals. Cereal bars (aforementioned soluble corn fiber). English muffins (cornmeal on bottoms). Cornbread….Out. Sigh.
It sucks. Sucks. So many things have corn.
Corn syrup I can manage though I’m finding cornstarch (an ingredient in powdered sugar) is a small spot of trouble.
Despite the needle-no-thanks, I’m back on allergy shots for the usual stuff. I’m contemplating getting another blood test for corn so they can add it to the roster. The allergy nurses are dubious of my claim. We’ll see. Needles, ack, willies. But corn, I love corn. arrrgggg
Anyway, I totally did not mean to make this corn thing a big huge deal but I guess I did.
Before I gave it up, I’d make these honey cornbread muffins by the Food Network Neely’s and ooooh!, holy cats and dogs people, are these tasty. Oh, man, tasty. I still make them for Mike and stare longingly at him as he eats them, he taunts me, drool peeking out of the corner of my mouth.
What makes these such the blog-worthy hit? The honey, it’s the honey, oh and the butter that give these muffins a big boost of moisture and their supreme deliciousness. They’re pretty near a one bowl wonder too, no mixer required. They’re zippy quick to whip up. And if you have that USA Muffin Pan,* no liners needed! But most of all they are just super yummy. Man, I’m drooling, ugh…
Then one day, truly out of nowhere, Mr. Fancy Pants Mike says “oh, hey, babe, I’ve got an idea! How about cornbread muffins but with like uh, bacon, cheese and uh blueberries, yeah. Yeah. Can you get on that?”
So one day I finally attempted his whack-a-doo fanci-fied version. Mike rings me up on his way home from work and queries, hey, what’s for dinner. I mention his muffin bonanza and there’s a pause, another pause, so I say, “babe, don’t you remember asking me to make these?”
“Um, no? I bet they’ll be delicious though. [ pause ] Waaaait a minute here, this is going to be some kind of Flaky post now isn’t it, ‘Mike asked for these and now we’re gonna see what his reaction is.’”
“Uhhhhh, um, maybe? How did you know?” It seems he knows me quite well.
Staring at him at dinner, a different kind of stare though heh, waiting for the big bite and the subsequent response…..
“Oh. Oh. Ok. Huh, wow. Ok. Yeah, these are good. Huh. Yeah. I like that.”
So they’re great, he said, an unexpected twist, one you’re not anticipating when you think cornbread. He wanted me to make sure you knew, to qualify, he’s easy to please when it comes to baked goods. I beg to differ though; he can be quite picky actually. If he doesn’t like something, he absolutely will not eat it. Yes, for real, uneaten baked goods.
Mike, tearing into his second muffin, “I’m not gonna finish this but I want a little more…” when his face flashes. “What’s for dessert?”
“Toasted marshmallow ice cream with hot fudge and graham cracker streusel.”
*thunk* ( aka the sound of half a muffin dropping from his hand onto the plate.
I’m overcome with laughter, “guess the muffins don’t win out over that, huh?”
“I need to leave room for dessert!!”
So go ahead and give these simple yet scrumptious corn muffins a go, I’m quite sure you’ll agree they’re pretty amazing. Then feel free to take on Mike’s dressed up version; let me know your thoughts on those!
Ingredients
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 stick butter melted
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels kept frozen
Optional:
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
- 1/2 cup chopped bacon
- 1 cup blueberries
Instructions
- Begin preheating the oven to 400° F (205° C) and line a 12 well muffin tin with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, add the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt and with a fork, stir to combine evenly.
- In a separate medium bowl, add the remaining wet ingredients except for the corn and whisk to combine with the same fork.
- Pour the wet into the dry along with the frozen corn and stir gently with the fork, being sure to not over-mix. Leave some lumps behind.
- If adding the optional ingredients of cheddar cheese, bacon, and blueberries, add them at this time too.
- Split the batter between the 12 wells of the muffin tin. Bake for about 15 minutes, until lightly golden.
- Remove the pan from the oven, let cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then remove the muffins to a cooling rack to cool completely. Served warm is best.
Notes
*The Jiffy cornbread muffin mix and USA muffin tins are Amazon affiliate links. Thanks! Please see the right sidebar for more info.
Best cornbread muffins I have ever made.
I did add cheese to these wonderful muffins.
Great with our chili on this cold fall day.
Thank you for sharing.
Faaaannnntastic! Completely thrilled you loved them! Thank you so much for letting us know!