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These moist cornbread muffins are the perfect side dish to so many meals! They’re slightly sweet, tender, and topped with a delicious honey butter glaze!
What makes these easy Cornbread Muffins so good?
- The ratio of flour to cornmeal. Though many recipes call for a 1:1 ratio, I prefer a little more flour than cornmeal. This gives the muffins a lighter, more tender crumb.
- Using butter vs. oil. I did lots of cornbread testing when developing my favorite cornbread recipe and quickly learned that using butter (rather than oil) produced a better flavor and texture.
- Topping with a honey butter glaze. The addition of the glaze on these muffins is so simple yet gives additional flavor and extra moisture on top!
Note! There are hundreds of cornbread muffin recipes out there. These are sweet cornbread muffins and not a traditional southern cornbread that tends to be more crumbly and free of sugar.
Ingredient Notes
Most of the ingredients in this recipe are standard baking ingredients. The full ingredient list and amounts are in the recipe card below. Below are a few items you’ll want to pay close attention to.
- Cornmeal – I use yellow cornmeal in this recipe. You can also find white cornmeal, blue cornmeal and coarse cornmeal, though I’d highly recommend sticking with yellow cornmeal for the optimal flavor and texture.
- Butter – Some recipes call for vegetable oil instead, but after testing the recipe both ways, the butter version was much preferred.
- Honey & White Sugar – I love using both in this recipe, but you can decrease the amount of sugar a bit if you’d like. See Frequently Asked Questions below for details.
- Buttermilk – If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own. Simply add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup and add milk until it hits the 1 cup mark. Whole milk or 2% is best as it’ll be most creamy, but any milk will work fine. Give it a stir and it’s good to go!
Step by Step Instructions
Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, you’ll whisk together the wet ingredients.
Pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir until combined. Don’t over-mix…doing so could result in less tender muffins.
Spoon the muffin batter into a muffin pan coated with cooking spray. You can use cupcake liners, but if you do, I recommend giving them a quick spritz of cooking spray first.
Bake in a preheated oven until the edges are golden brown.
Place the muffins on a wire rack and brush with the honey butter mixture, if desired.
Serve warm or let them cool to room temperature before storing in an airtight container.
Add-Ins and Variations
Cornbread Mini Muffins – This recipe will make about 48 mini muffins and will take just 7-8 minutes to bake.
Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread Muffins – Use my Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread recipe, fill a greased 12 count muffin tin and bake for 10-12 minutes.
Other Add-Ins – Try adding 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese, 8 slices of cooked and crumbled bacon or 1 cup of fresh cut sweet corn kernels to the batter for added flavor and texture! If you add cheese or bacon, I’d recommend reducing the added salt to 1/4 teaspoon or less.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you want to decrease the sugar content in these sweet muffins, keep the honey and decrease the sugar to 1/4 cup. You can also skip the honey butter glaze on top!
Yes. If you use unsalted butter, you can increase the salt to 3/4 teaspoon if you’d like.
Yes! That shouldn’t be an issue at all.
Yes! Use cup-for-cup gluten free flour in place of the all-purpose flour.
Yes! Cornbread muffins freeze really well. Let them cool completely before transferring to a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months and let thaw before enjoying! I recommend a few seconds in the microwave for that “freshly-baked” flavor and texture!
Microwave them for 10-15 seconds at a time until soft and tender! Don’t overdo it or they’ll get tough. You can also wrap them in foil and put them in a 300 degree oven for 10 minutes or until warmed through.
What to Serve with Cornbread Muffins
Cornbread Muffins
Equipment
- One 12 count muffin tin
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter melted and cooled
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 egg
- 1 cup buttermilk
Honey Butter Glaze
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon honey
Instructions
Cornbread Muffins
- Preheat oven to 375℉ and place muffin liners in a muffin tin*.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.1 1/4 cups flour, 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, sugar, honey and the egg. Then, whisk in the buttermilk.1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 egg, 1 cup buttermilk
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry; stir until combined.
- Fill muffin liners about 2/3 full and bake for 10-12 minutes.
Honey Butter Glaze
- Combine the honey and butter in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave just until the butter is melted.1 tablespoon butter, 1 tablespoon honey
- Stir the mixture until combined then brush over the warm cornbread. Serve warm.
