It’s no secret that I’m a creature of habit. Once I found my favorite corn bread recipe, there was no looking back. It’s pretty much perfect. But for some reason, I couldn’t pass up these two-bite cheddar scallion corn muffins as I flipped through Fine Cooking’s Breakfast & Brunch while I was waiting for some paint to mix up at Lowe’s one Sunday morning. What can I say? Inspiration comes at the weirdest moments sometimes.
I had already planned to pull some beef and black bean chili out of the freezer for a quick gym-night dinner recently and these corn muffins were a natural addition to this meal. They are quick to throw together and bake up in less than 15 minutes. The original recipe calls for roasted red peppers which I think would be an excellent add-in but I didn’t feel up to a one-ingredient grocery store trip for them. (Yeah, like I can pick-up just one item at the store.) I’m sure roasted poblanos or banana peppers would totally round out these muffins as well. Either way, I probably won’t totally give up my old favorite completely but at least I’ve got a new and stellar option to go with in a pinch.
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp corn meal
- 2 oz sharp cheddar, grated (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ancho chile powder (or regular chili powder)
- Kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 scallion, finely chopped (green and white parts)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a mini muffin pan with butter or cooking spray.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until it turns a nutty brown color, swirling the pan occasionally. This should take about 4-5 minutes; remove the pan from the heat.
- Stir the flour, corn meal, cheddar, baking powder, chile powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper together in a medium bowl.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, beat the eggs and sugar together until pale and thickened, about 3 minutes. Alternatively in five additions, add the dry ingredients and browned butter, stirring each addition into the batter before adding the next. Stir in the scallions.
- Divide the batter between the mini muffin cups, about 1 tablespoon per cup, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. The muffins should be springy to the touch. Let the muffins cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing and serving warm.
Source
source: adapted from Fine Cooking, The Best of Breakfast and Brunch, Spring 2013
I can never pass up a recipe with cheddar and scallions 😀
oooh, i have my fave cornbread too but it’s a sweeter version. this looks like an awesome savory, cheesy alternative. YUM!
finally got a chance to make these! So good! can’t wait to make them again