On the Christmas Meal Planning Poll of 2022, yeast rolls and cheesy cornbread muffins were tied for the critical Christmas Eve dinner roll spot. As food mediator (and the one who would be doing the baking), I ruled in favor of both. Since yeasted breads take more time, effort, space, and attention than quick breads like cornbread, I got yeast rolls from the Fresh Market bakery and made these new Cheddar Honey Cornbread Muffins.
And I must say, these fluffy, crispy, buttery, cheesy, perfectly-portioned muffins went above and beyond their duties as holiday dinner rolls. They rocked the Christmas Eve appetizer board with roasted garlic honey butter, then made a second appearance at Christmas Day brunch, split and toasted for eggs Benedict with honey ham and apple sausage.
Developing the recipe
To create this recipe, I started with my favorite rustic whole grain skillet cornbread. From there:
- I switched to all-purpose flour and increased the flour:cornmeal ratio for a softer, chewier, more muffin-like crumb;
- added more honey for flavor and a touch of sugar for the perfect level of sweetness;
- increased the sea salt to balance the sweetness and round out the flavor;
- folded in freshly shredded, sharp or smoked cheddar for melty, savory goodness throughout every bite;
- and divided the batter into a buttered 6-cup muffin pan for crispy edges around every portion.
The result is a sweet & salty, fluffy & crispy, cheesy & savory, indulgent & surprisingly light, versatile cornbread muffin fit for celebratory dinners, busy weeknights, festive parties, impressive brunches, and anytime snacks and appetizers.
The easiest dinner bread ever
On top of the mouthwatering taste, I cannot emphasize enough how quickly and easily you can have homemade dinner/appetizer bread on your table with these marvelous cheesy muffins. The batter requires just one bowl and literally seconds to mix up; the muffins bake at high heat for just TWELVE minutes; and they are ready to serve right out of the oven. No special tools or bulky mixers, no worrying about the precise order and temperature of your ingredients, no kneading, no rising, no waiting, no planning way in advance. Plus, this small-batch recipe can be made in a half-size, 6-cup muffin pan, leaving plenty of free oven space.
For serving
Roasted garlic honey butter
Although the cornbread muffins are perfectly delicious on their own, roasted garlic honey butter takes the whole experience to another level. Mix up a batch to have on-hand in the fridge, and you will have no trouble using up this glorious spread.
- Roast the garlic: Preheat the oven or toaster oven to 400ºF. Place a few peeled garlic cloves in a pouch of foil and drizzle with olive oil. Seal the pouch, place on a baking sheet, and roast 25-30 minutes, until fragrant and soft enough to easily mash with a fork. Set aside to cool.
- Set out 1/2 stick unsalted butter until softened.
- In a small bowl, mash about 2 cloves of the cooled roasted garlic into a smooth paste. To the mashed garlic, add the softened butter, a generous squeeze of honey (1-2 tsp), and a few pinches of coarse or flaked sea salt (to taste). Mash it all together with a fork until evenly combined.
- Place the butter mixture on a sheet of plastic wrap and shape into a log. Roll in plastic wrap and seal. Refrigerate until firm. Serve with the cornbread muffins and anything else you please!
Brunch twists
There’s no wrong time of day for honey, sea salt, cheese, and cornbread. In addition to dinner rolls, these beauties are phenomenal for brunch. One creative way to serve them is to split them in half horizontally, toast the halves face-side up in the toaster oven (or under the broiler), and top them like you would top an English muffin…
- Spread with savory cream cheese or more of the garlic honey butter.
- Top with eggs, any style, and/or your favorite breakfast meats.
- Make a fun twist on eggs Benedict with ham, bacon, or sausage (sliced and pan-seared chicken apple sausage works great!), poached eggs, a simple hollandaise, and a sprinkle of chili flakes.
Storing
Store in an air-tight container at room temperature up to 2-3 days, or frozen up to 3 months. I definitely recommend freezing if not consumed the same day.
From frozen, microwave about 30 seconds to thaw (or set out to thaw), slice in half horizontally (for the best toast), then toast in the toaster oven for a couple minutes until crispy.
Cheddar Honey Cornbread Muffins
Crisp on the edges, fluffy & soft in the middle, sweet, salty, buttery, & laced with melty sharp cheddar, these cheddar honey cornbread muffins are simple, super quick, and perfect alongside any dinner or brunch.
Notes
This small-batch recipe fills a 6-cup, standard-sized muffin pan. To adapt for a 12-cup muffin pan, simply double the recipe. For mini or jumbo muffins, you will need to reduce or increase the baking time by 1-2 minutes, respectively, and watch closely.
Refer to the post above for the roasted garlic honey butter recipe and other serving ideas!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp buttermilk (full-fat or thicker varieties preferred), at room temperature
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1.5 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for greasing the pan
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 38 g (1/4 cup) medium-grind cornmeal
- 92 g (3/4 cup) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 oz cheddar (sharp or smoked), freshly shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425ºF.
- Generously grease a 6-cup, standard-sized muffin pan with butter. (The butter is important for getting a really aromatic, yummy, toasty & crisp exterior as the cheese on the outside fries in the butter while baking.)
- In a medium to large mixing bowl, add the buttermilk, egg, melted butter, honey, and sugar. Whisk until fully combined and smooth (making sure to scrape any honey off the bottom of the bowl).
- To the dry ingredients, add the cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir until just incorporated (small lumps are good!).
- Gently fold the cheddar into the batter, without over-mixing.
- Divide the batter evenly into the 6 buttered muffin cups. They will be nearly full.
- Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 12 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Cool in the pan about 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.
- Serve as dinner rolls with roasted garlic honey butter (recipe above), or split and toasted with brunch favorites.
- Store in an air-tight container at room temperature up to 2-3 days, or frozen up to 3 months. (I recommend freezing if not consumed the same day.) From frozen, microwave about 30 seconds to thaw (or set out to thaw), slice in half horizontally (for the best toast), then toast in the toaster oven for a couple minutes until crispy.
