Tuesday, July 5, 2011

The Search is Over

My search for the perfect cornbread recipe might finally be over! These are not a low-calorie treat, though the recipe could be altered to make them healthier. Last week we got very (surprisingly) disappointing corn at the farmers' market, and the leftovers continued to sit in the fridge. I was not looking forward to getting rid of them, which meant throwing them out instead of composting as our bin is almost full to the tippy top. I stopped at Penzeys the other day, and noticed a cornbread recipe. The stars had aligned - there was a recipe, Penzeys' spices and recipes are always great and I had corn that desperately needed to be used:




Moist, sweet, golden muffins. Great served with fried chicken or spicy summer salads. Nice for breakfast, or as a light dessert. Perfect served warm out of the oven, delicious alone or spread with butter or honey.

  • 1 1/2 Cups all purpose flour
  • 3/4 Cup yellow cornmeal
  • 2/3 Cup granulated white sugar
  • 5 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 Cup butter (1 stick)
  • 1 extra large egg
  • 1 Cup milk
  • 1 tsp. PURE VANILLA EXTRACT
 

 
Preheat oven to 400°. Spray 2 muffin tins with vegetable oil spray. In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl or small saucepan, melt the butter. Whisk the egg lightly while the butter cools a bit, then add the egg, milk, and PURE VANILLA EXTRACT to the butter. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the mixed liquid, stirring lightly until just blended. Don't over mix, or the muffins won't be as tender. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins. Bake at 400° for 15-18 minutes, until the muffins have risen, are golden brown and springy to the touch. Pop out of the tins, and let cool a bit before serving.
 
The changes that I made:

1. Using raw sugar instead of white
2. I added an extra 1/4 cupish of sugar to offset the blandness of the corn
3. I used 2 tsp of vanilla (but I always add an extra teaspoon of vanilla)
4. I added about 3/4 cup of corn off the cob to the batter, on top of the wet ingredients

They took a little longer to cook than the 18 minutes, but the consistency was great. The kernels of corn gave it a chewier, grittier texture that I think should be part of the whole cornbread experience. They are definitely sweet, which I really prefer and like, but I think without the extra kernels they may have been too sweet even for me. It might have been that they didn't need the extra bit of sugar that I added. I followed the recipe and did these as muffins so I can't say how it would turn out in a cast iron pan as just cornbread, but I think it would be fine. 

Sorry I didn't do this before the 4th so y'all could try it out and be the star of the cookout! 

Oh, I almost forgot here is the nutrition information for 12 muffins (with a surprising amount of protein, actually), based on the way that I made them not the original recipe: 

Nutrition Facts
Penzey's Sweet Cornbread Muffins
Serving Size: 1 serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories226
Total Fat8.2g
      Saturated Fat4.8g
      Trans Fat0g
Cholesterol38mg
Sodium479mg
Carbohydrate35.2g
      Dietary Fiber2.2g
      Sugars13.2g
Protein3.8g
Alcohol0.2g
Vitamin A 7%Vitamin C 0%
Calcium    14%Iron 6%

5 comments:

  1. No problem. They really are super yummy!

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  2. I am totally going to give these a shot--thanks!

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  3. Yum! My mom has a recipe really similar to this, so freaking good I could eat the whole pan with a big side of honeybutter.

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