Baked Sunday Mornings: Honey Corn Muffins

CORN MUFFINS WITH CHILI

OR ADD A BAKED POTATO FOR A MAN-SIZE MEAL

The Baked Boys made a cornbread recipe that is their own and I wanted to create a recipe that is mine.  I read theirs and several others, and then decided to make some changes that I hoped would please my family.  Success.  My creation based on the Baked recipe is terrific.  It's a keeper.

While reading through the recipe I noted that it calls for a fairly large quantity of baking powder --1 Tablespoon--compared to what I would say is a relatively  small batch of only 12 muffins. With buttermilk, I'm used to including baking soda as an ingredient...maybe just a teaspoon, rather than baking powder.  But his recipe has no soda.

I ADDED CORN CUT OFF THE COB, SPICY CHEESE, SOUR CREAM, BAKING SODA, AND MORE SPICES

With several sweeteners: the honey, the brown sugar, and the granulated sugar I wanted something different than honey-butter as a spread, so I decided on a  tailgate party for dinner...there's always a game!

And looking through September magazines, I should be getting into Fall, however, we are still in triple digit temps, and Summer will be around for a few more months.  It probably sounds strange, but we usually eat Thanksgiving dinner on the patio, and we've often gone for a swim after dinner.  This is our outdoor time of year.

But I'll try to get into Fall just so I can pretend to have a change of seasons. I do enjoy the Fall foods and holidays, but it is hard to get into that mood.

DRY INGREDIENTS FOLDED INTO THE WET JUST UNTIL COMBINED

For a dinner built around the corn muffins, we'll have chili with some trimmings.  They just go together.  It's tradition.  Clam chowder would also be great with these muffins.  I am excited to see what my cyber friends have done.

These are the ingredients I chose, and they work really well.  Sometimes it is difficult to find the right balance between tender and crumbly when it comes to cornbread.  Most recipes create a vision that anticipates moist goodness, but results in a dry piece of bread that needs toppings or soppings to be really good.  I don't want dry.  I want a muffin that is good on its own.

Whisk together:
3 eggs  (recipe calls for 2)
1/2 C buttermilk
1/2 C sour cream
1/2 stick melted butter, cooled
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 T sugar

Stir in:
1/2 pound salsa cheese  (cheddar cheese with additions that would go into Mexican salsa)
corn cut from 1 cob

In a separate bowl  whisk together:
1 1/2 C yellow corn meal
3/4 C flour
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
a few turns of freshly ground pepper
a pinch of cayenne pepper

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.

Fill buttered pans 3/4 full.  Bake in 400^ oven for 15 minutes.  24 minutes for the 9 X 13 pan.

I SIMPLY PIPED IN THE BATTER WHICH WAS A NO MESS AND FAST WAY TO USE THESE PANS

I wanted some fun shapes, not just the traditional muffin shape.   I like the edges which  crispy making a lovely contrast to the tender middle.  I found our old cast iron corn "muffin" pan, a scone pan, and  a couple of dark pans that make 2 "squares...all good choices for  crispier edges, and then I filled a 9 X 13 pan with all the rest of the batter...I four X the recipe, I have guests for dinner, and I'll send some home with my kids who will stop by later.  And leftovers can be toasted and are yummy according to the recipe.

With the corn, cheese, sour cream, baking soda,an extra egg,  and a few more spices, this recipe is scrumptious.  No. 1 Son who does not care for corn bread really liked this combination.  He asked for seconds.  Dentist-Son-IN-Law told me several times that the cornbread is especially good...he attributes the great flavor to the fresh corn.

JUST OUT OF THE OVEN

Because I did not want to detract for the good flavors in this cornbread, I chose to only use sour cream and shredded cheese with a little minced cilantro as a garnish for our chili.  These garnishes complement my recipe.  For the men, I also baked potatoes, which were topped by the chili and toppings.

We watched a good football game, ate our food, enjoyed good company and the evening was one of those fun family activities.

I'll be interested to see how your corn muffins turned out with only the baking powder.  I'll also want to see what additions my cyber friends have made and what was chosen to accompany this recipe.  Always enjoy your ideas and tips.

YUMMY, CRISP BROWNED EDGES ARE THE BEST PART