We escaped the Frozen North this week to someplace warm and tropical and it almost feels like cheating. Shouldn’t we be shivering? Shouldn’t we be eating rib-sticking comfort food and not slurping fresh passion fruit from a spoon? How can we have the audacity to shuffle-smack around in sandy flip-flops while our arctic puffers collect dust in the closet?
It turns out it’s not so difficult at all. But I’m not here to gloat, promise; I, too, was bone-chilled, quietly resentful of people anywhere that their face didn’t freeze within half a block of their apartment and questioning all of the life choices that had led me to take up residence in such a place just a few days ago. Instead, I’d like to offer small packages of what passes for sunshine until real warmth returns: the best corn muffins I’ve ever made.
I have been on the hunt for a great corn muffin recipe, well, as long as I can remember. My mother made them when I was growing up and I had assumed she got her recipe from Joy of Cooking or Silver Palate, two of our cookbook bibles back then, but no, she tells me they were from the back of the Jiffy box, sending me back to the drawing board if I wanted to make them from scratch. I made Dorie Greenspan’s Corniest Corn Muffins many years ago, and while they’re lovely, the corn muffins I wax nostalgic about didn’t have fresh corn in them. I heard great things about the corn muffins from the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook, but found them almost too buttery and flat. I should have known after a decade-long perfect blueberry muffin hunt ended with Cook’s Illustrated that this would too.
Cook’s Illustrated understands the value of a great, craggy and bronzed muffin dome. They understand that while a more dense batter may make for pretty muffins, you’re going to want a thick, creamy ingredient inside to keep the final muffin from tasting dry and floury. Often, we use applesauce or mashed bananas to soften the final crumb, but I don’t need any of that in my corn muffins. In this month’s magazine, they did something I’d never considered: cooking some of the cornmeal with milk until porridge-thick to give the muffins a tenderness that seems otherwise impossible from this volume of dry ingredients. Split and warmed with a pat of salted butter (or salted brown honey butter, I’m just saying), if cold weather could have a consolation prize, this would be it.
Thank you: For all of your good cheer and kind words about last week’s kind of crazy news. As a second kid, I always thought we were old news, but you guys have made this feel like anything but and have reminded me, once again, how much fun it is to have this little corner of the web as our own.
One year ago: Stuck-Pot Rice with Lentils and Yogurt
Two years ago: Blood Orange Margaritas
Three years ago: Double Coconut Muffins
Four years ago: Green Bean Salad with Pickled Red Onions and Fried Almonds
Five years ago: Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe (Cheese and Black Pepper)
Six years ago: Devil’s Chicken Thighs and Braised Leeks
Seven years ago: Pasta Puttanesca and Broken Artichoke Hearts Salad
Eight years ago: Dill Bread + Lots of Breadmaking Tips
And for the other side of the world:
Six Months Ago: Smoky Eggplant Dip
1.5 Years Ago: Rice-Stuffed Tomatoes
2.5 Years Ago: My Favorite Brownies
3.5 Years Ago: Hazelnut Plum Crumb Tart
Perfect Corn Muffins
From Cook’s Illustrated, January/February 2015
Maybe you didn’t grow up eating corn muffins and you’re wondering how they’re different from cornbread. I suppose from a distance they might seem similar — cornmeal, fat, leavener, baked into something of a quick bread — but true Southern cornbread would never have sugar in it and are decidedly less cakey. Given that I just learned that corn muffins the official state muffins of Massachusetts, I think we can safely presume that they’re what happens when you let Yankees near Southern staples. (I’m joking. Mostly.)
Most corn muffins are made with an equal or even greater amount of flour than cornmeal; these are 2/3 cornmeal, and seem like it wouldn’t be terribly hard to replace that last 1/3 with a gluten-free flour mix if needed. CI had set out to make a savory corn muffin, using only 3 tablespoons sugar, but I liked these with 1/4 to 1/3 cup for the light sweetness I remember growing up, but at a level that’s still anything but cloying. Finally, CI recommends Arrowhead Mills Organic Yellow Cornmeal, and says that you should not use coarse-ground or white cornmeal, but I used a mixture of fine yellow unfancy Indian Head cornmeal and medium-grind Bob’s Red Mill (I used this portion for the pre-cooking step, to soften it) and had no complaints about the final texture.
2 cups (280 grams) yellow cornmeal, to be divided
1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons fine sea or table salt
1 1/4 cups (300 ml) milk, whole is best here
1 cup (240 grams) sour cream (full-fat plain yogurt should work here too)
8 tablespoons (115 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
3 to 5 tablespoons (35 to 60 grams) sugar (see Note up top about sweetness)
2 large eggs
Heat oven to 425°F (220°C). Either grease or line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with disposable liners.
Whisk 1 1/2 cups cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl. In a large bowl (if you have a microwave) or a medium saucepan (if you do not), combine milk and remaining 1/2 cup cornmeal. In a microwave, cook cornmeal–milk mixture for 1 1/2 minutes, then whisk thoroughly, and continue to microwave in 30-second increments, mixing between them, until it’s thickened to a batter-like consistency, i.e. the whisk will leave a clear line across the bottom of the bowl that slowly fills in. This will take 1 to 3 minutes longer. On the stove, cook cornmeal mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it thickens as described above, then transfer to a large bowl.
Whisk butter, then sugar, then sour cream into cooked cornmeal until combined. At this point, the wet mixture should be cool enough that adding the eggs will not scramble them, but if it still seems too hot, let it cool for 5 minutes longer. Whisk in eggs until combined. Fold in flour mixture until thoroughly combined and the batter is very thick. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups; it will mound slightly above the rim.
Bake until tops are golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 13 to 17 minutes, rotating muffin tin halfway through baking to ensure even cooking. Let muffins cool in muffin tin on wire rack for 5 minutes, then remove muffins from tin and let cool 5 minutes longer. Serve warm.
P.S. You can make your own makeshift muffin liners from 5 to 6-inch squares of parchment but please, maybe test it first to see if it can reach the heat the package promises, as these, despite advertising a heat limit of 450°F, set off my smoke detector multiple times and were definitely not worth the trouble.
long time reader, first time commenter. huge congrats on your exciting news! and THANK YOU for posting this recipe, I made your three bean chili last week but in Germany there are no handy Jiffy corn muffin ready mixes around and I must admit, delicious as it was, I was craving a good corn muffin to accompany it! you read my mind :)
As a native Bay Stater, reading that the corn muffin is our official state muffin is news to me, but not at all surprising. I grew up in Western Mass where it can still be pretty rural. Countless roadside farms line the streets all summer long, selling bushels of all sorts of corn. Growing up, the only corn I knew and ate was purchased within an hour of being picked. Gosh, when I was a little girl, I wanted to marry a farmer to ensure I’d always have fresh corn to eat. Mmm, fresh silver queen. I’m still very curious how that came to be though, and it’s not something involving cranberries. Those are all the way from the other side of the state, though.
Hope you’re feeling great!
I can’t tell you how excited I am to make these! I’ve been trying to come up with the perfect, cracked-top corn muffins for at least a year now.
Can’t wait to try this recipe. For years I have tried to replicate the sweet, soft (not grainy) corn muffins that I enjoyed while working in Philadelphia, PA back in the 80’s(?). Found them again at the Franklin Institute (Philly) snack bar, but never determined the bakery nor the recipe. Every recipe I tried was grainy, so my bet is with the Cook’s recipe’s version.
Congrats on your exciting news! I’m sure it will be a whirlwind and a journey to remember. Now, as for these muffins, they look perfect!
I just love Cook’s Illustrated! I can’t believe I waited so long to subscribe! These look really yummy :)
I’m from TN and actually grew up on sweet Jiffy cornbread, but don’t tell anyone or my southern heritage card might be revoked. I usually get disappointed because cornbread doesn’t taste like Jiffy when I make it at home, but you’ve given me hope! Our leftovers were always crumbled up and served in a bowl with milk (this makes me sound ancient, and I’m not).
We crumble leftover cornbread with milk and we are from New Mexico
Congratulations on the exciting news! I love hearing about your life updates as much as the delicious recipe updates you post every week!!! These corn muffins look stellar!
Dear Deb, I simply love corn in all ways, as I am Mexican. But miss it too much as I live in Madrid. So this is just perfect, as it’s easy to find good cornmeal that comes from either Colombia or Ecuador, I suppose either of these will work just fine, right? Thanks and cogratulations!
The cooked cornmeal remind me of the water/flour roux that comes from those “soft as clouds” Asian bread buns. You are spot on about the moisture and bulk it brings to baked goods Deb!
Your Cornbread muffins are sunny mountains which have brighten my day and soon will highlight my dinner table. Many Congratulations on all your wonderful news; make sure you enjoy every moment of it!
Hi can you make the batter the night before and leave in the fridge and then bake early next morning?
DEB!!!!! Thank you!!! :) :) :) I was so excited to see the title of this post, and I can’t wait to make these!!!!!!!!!! :)
You read my mind — I was searching your page for cornbread recipes yesterday, but I wanted something super-basic. This looks perfect.
If trying to make them gluten-free, do you have a suggestion for a flour substitute that would work particularly well here?
Congratulations on your exciting news! I LITERALLY just read this recipe in my Cook’s Illustrated and am planning to make it today. What a coincidence when I then saw it on your site!
Hey Deb, try frying some of this dough…this recipe and method its very similar to a “sorullito” which is a corn fritter that I grew up eating in Puerto Rico. The only thing that we didn’t add was the egg and sour cream.
I have been hunting for a corn muffin recipe forever too and followed that same path (Jiffy box, Joy of Cooking). I also love Cooks Illustrated blueberry muffin recipe. I can’t wait to try this one, too. Thanks for sharing it, and your process. And congrats on the exciting baby news- I like how you weave bits of your life into your notes about cooking. Your website has become a favorite. :)
Corn muffins always remind me of my dad. He loved them, and I will be baking these and thinking of him! Enjoy your time in the warm sunshine!
These look really yummy and look exactly how I like mine. My husband’s grandma makes her cornbread 1 part Jiffy Mix, 1 part yellow cake mix. It’s so good.
Was thinking how nice those parchment liners looked…glad I read on…you would be hearing our collective smoke alarms going off all week even as far away (and warm) as you are. We love you for the recipe, and what’s a little smoke and noise among cooking friends?
Ever read Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451? The title refers to the temperature at which paper combusts. I always remember that when I’m using parchment paper… I keep it to 425 or below. (Of course, only the exposed bits will be prone to this. Paper between the food and the pan such as the round you place under the bottom of a cake is safe until the *cake* reaches 451, which it won’t.)
What a great recipe. I usually use a Jiffy mix for corn muffins but I’ll try this next time. I think this will go great with some pulled pork. I’ve got a slow cooker recipe that’s going up soon!
.. Laura ..
Hi Deb. Long time reader, first time commenter. When I pulled up your page an hour and a half ago, I immediately went to the kitchen to check if I had cornmeal. Now I’m finishing my first muffin. These are so, so very good. I used 4 tablespoons of sugar and found it absolutely perfect. Thank you so much for your wonderful recipes! And congrats on the new addition!
Do you think these would work with whole wheat instead of all purpose?
These sound so yummy!
Deb, where did you get those adorable muffin cups?
A good corn muffin recipe is necessary. I love yours!
These look really interesting but as someone from the UK, I have no idea when you’d eat them. You said they’re sweeter than cornbread so I’m assuming it’s something you’d have as breakfast or snack, like any sweet muffin. Is that right?
Hilarious — I made these last night. But not these, exactly — the version from the CI cookbook. Forgot these were in the last issue! Regardless, toasted CI corn muffins with a schmear of butter are perfect for a grab-and-go breakfast on the way to jury duty. Very important tip from Queens. Definitely trying this higher cornmeal-to-flour ratio next! Happy corny days.
I’m from Massachusetts but live in Colorado now. I never realized that corn muffins weren’t a nationwide phenomenon until I moved. This recipe will make my uncle VERY happy. He lives in California now and misses corn muffins.
When I first moved to California from Maine, I laughed at everyone wearing warm clothing in the “winter”. The temperatures can get down into the 50s compared to the possible -50 degree temperatures I was used to.
Fast forward to now and I’m trooping around in boots and a pea coat. It’s all relative!
Question though bout your corn muffins. Do you busy out your honey bear bottle. :) I had never seen anyone do that until I moved out here.
This is what I have been waiting for! I grew up in the town where Jiffy Mix is made, one of our small town’s two claims to fame, so Jiffy Mix corn muffins were a household staple. I have wanted to make muffins from scratch for a ling time, but nothing stood up to Jiffy. Can’t wait to try them!
I just had to comment today, I am laughing!!! What are you saying, there is better corn muffins than from the Jiffy box, WHAT?????????? I grew up on that stuff as my grandparents lived with us for 6 years and they were from the South where you have corn bread or muffins almost everyday! Though the South people don’t add sugar as we northerners do and like it that way!!! Thanks for upgrading my muffins and I will make some over the weekend, since I ate so much growing up I love good corn muffins or bread!!! Glad you away and enjoying life somewhere else for a few days!!
Delicious!
Hi Deb,
I had corn muffins when I traveled to the US, and loved them. I would love to make them at home, but I’m not sure of what cornmeal should look like. In France we have Polenta (which would be like corn semolina), or, at the organic store, corn flour. Which one would you recommend?
Thanks a lot!
Hi Deb
I’m curious why CI excluded white cornmeal from this recipe? I can’t imagine it would do any harm.
Thanks
When I was a girl I went to 4H and learned to make Johnny Cake. Apparently in Ontario (Canada) this was pioneer food. This recipe should taste like that wonderful Johnny Cake. We bake the batter in a square pan, serve it warm with butter and maple syrup. Heaven!
I was totally dying for a corn muffin last week and here they are! (Weird craving, I know.) I can’t wait to try them! I hate that darn smoke detector going off over nothing?!
Good corn muffins really are hard to find, now that I think about it. Will definitely have to try this version when I’m feeling in the mood!
As a lifelong Southerner, you’re right — the idea of sugar in cornbread sounds like a sacrilege! While I’m sure these are delicious, I like my cornbread dry and not at all sweet with a thick crust. My favorite way to eat it is crumbling it in a glass of milk and eating it with a spoon. I told you I was Southern!
Woah – these sound amazing. I’m a huge fan of more-sweet cornbread, so I’m sure these will be a hit. Going to try making them tonight!
It’s Mel again (of the failed Magnolia bakery muffins). As you can see I commented above and just after that, I made the mistake of saying to SO “Deb made corn muffins!!” (as though we know you or something). He’s gotten use to me though, so he just said (only half-jokingly) “well…where are they?”…and so I decided to make them, much to his delight. Only the Indian Head Cornmeal went in, because I don’t have the other kind and the snow outside makes it highly unlikely I will go out today. But other than that made your exact recipe.
OMG!! So good!!! SO is in love – he says these are the closest things to his beloved NY corn muffin, and I expect they will only be better with the addition of the other type of cornmeal which I’ll buy tomorrow (for the…ahem…second attempt this weekend). Thank you so much Deb!!! (and congrats on your bun in the oven again :)
When I read this recipe in CI, I thought, how do I know course ground from whatever ground, and left me hanging there. All my grocery store calls it is cornmeal! Should I be using semolina? I simply don’t know how to proceed not having access to KA or other named brands.
Enjoy your hols.
Yum! That sounds great!
I am a long time subscriber to CI, as a matter of fact, I have every magazine from its charter issue, and besides your recipes, I cook nearly exclusively from CI…I am mentioning this because the only CI recipes I ever have trouble with are their muffin recipes because always, the amount of batter fills 12 muffin cups very full and even though I thoroughly grease the cups and even the top of the pan, they often bake to the pan so that it is very difficult to remove them. I hate the time it takes and the mess it makes. Maybe I should just put less in (duh!), but it always seems to me if they suggest the batter should fit, well, drat it, it should! So I was interested in your DIY parchment liners, but not if the parchment burns. sigh. But look at your muffins! They look pretty big in the photos. I guess I could use cupcake liners, but that just does not seem right either! I have made CI cornbread, corn sticks, corn dodgers and they are all delicious, so I am betting I will try these too. I know they will be the best around. Thanks for the inspiration.
I love blueberry corn muffins. Do you think this recipe would work with some blueberries folded in?
Joining the ‘how can I use polenta in this as we don’t have cornmeal in my country’ brigade! Any chance of a note in the main recipe, maybe?
I can’t wait to make these. I have been thinking about corn bread, corn muffins, polenta… Not sure why! Maybe the weather. I did just make your light wheat bread again yesterday, so maybe I should wait a few days.. we are only a household of 2 with only 1 of us eating carbs!
Hi Deb,
Sorry to butt in here, (OK, the vacation looks awesome; I want one.) but what I really need is a vegan main. The curried lentils and sweet potatoes look pretty awesome…and I’m thinking vegan main and veg main categories would be a great resource. p.s. Mazel tov! I’d have another in a minute if I could. Any other vegan mains you’re particularly fond of?
Hi Deb! Thanks for this corn muffin recipe. I can’t wait to make them. Any ideas or tips about adding berries?
I was beyond thrilled to see this post on corn muffins! Made chili last week accompanied by Bobs Red Mill corn muffin mix and must say was disappointed by the lack of sweetness. Will try this recipe next time! Thanks for sharing!
And congrats on baby #2 :)
That’s it! I’m going to finally make some! I’ve put it off for far too long… American food is such a mystery sometimes (in Australia). A lot of it sounds familiar (because you here it on TV) but we never actually eat it.
I’m in eternal hunt for the perfect corn muffin recipe as well. Have you seen the ChefSteps recipe? I couldn’t help but be enchanted by a version that starts with cooking whole kernels in (browned!) butter and uses cake flour to complement the medium grind cornmeal.
Knifegirl- I’m not Deb but the Moroccan chickpea stew is delicious & has a vegan version. I made it for a couple vegan friends recently & they raved.
Those of you familiar with Southern-style cornbread-do you think this would work with the sugar omitted & baked in a cake pan (I lack the proper size of cast iron skillet)? I love the idea of the smoothness but cannot bring myself to make corn cake (that’s what sweet cornbread is- cake!).
I have such a soft spot for Jiffy cornbread muffins! They just bring back such good memories!
I grew up 3 blocks away from the Jiffy Mix factory and their cornbread mix is the only cornbread I have ever been satisfied with because it tastes like memories.
If you hold that as a standard too though, I’ll give this recipe a shot. ;)
Congrats on baby number two! Our baby #2 is 13 weeks old now and it’s been crazy and fun, maddening and amazing, and (if you are one to worry about such things) still as wondrous and miraculous as the first time.
I’m a sucker for Trader Joes cornbread/corn muffin mix, but mostly because it should really be labeled corn cake for how much sugar is in it… These seem much more reasonable in sweetness. Will try them out!
You don’t like corn kernels in your corn muffins?!?!? Really?!
Do you think these could be made substituting yogurt or buttermilk or milk kefir for the whole milk? And might you then have to adjust the amount of baking soda or baking powder? I’m glad to find a recipe that might taste like Jiffy but not be so processed. Thanks!
First time commenter. Just made these, forgot to add the butter (i was letting it cool) but they STILL turned out delicious! Now I have an excellent excuse to slather the muffins with butter lol!
Traditions are all very nice, but they don’t have to be limiting! My great-grandfather was a southerner, I suppose, but he called himself a Texan ’til the day he died (not “southern” and not even “American,” but TEXAN) and he loved Jiffy cornbread. Not only did he throw leftover corn into the mix, but he added a little shredded coconut in there too. That’s how we’ve been making it for four generations. But I am very excited to try your recipe, Deb!
Congrats on your wonderful news!
I, too, have struggled with dry and underwhelming cornbread recipes. Thank you for this inspiration with pre-cooking the cornmeal. I am off to try this now!
Made these tonight with some turkey chili and they turned out beautifully!! The tops have a lovely rustic look. Husband and guests gobbled them up. I grew up on Jiffy as well and these were 1000 times better.. May never go back. Thanks for the recipe!
I adore the “corniest corn muffins;” I add in freshly cut white corn, minced green onions, minced serrano chile, shredded cheddar cheese. So delicious. The serrano isn’t too spicy when it’s cooked in the muffin but if you’re scared of heat, you can use a jalapeno.
Made these tonight and they are truly the perfect corn muffins! I ended up making 14, as I was nervous to overfill the muffin tin. I used 5 tbsps of sugar and might add another tbsp the next time. Thank you for yet another winner and, of course, congratulations!
Deb, thanks so much for this recipe! I’m excited to try these, as I too have been searching for the perfect corn muffin recipe (must admit I’ve fallen back on Jiffy as the old standby one too many times!) I’d love to have a solid homemade recipe.
Also, I wanted to tell you how much I love your “____Years ago” list on every post. Not only does it give credit to just how long you’ve been in business here on Smitten Kitchen, but something on that list always seems to catch my eye & I end up finding some awesome post from x years ago. Thanks :)
okay your photography is flawless in this post, definitely giving me blog (and muffin) envy over here!
Those corn muffins look incredible, I love the cracked tops! I’ve been on the hunt for a perfect corn muffin for years too, maybe these are it!
Congratulations on your happy news again! I just got your cookbook and am so excited to work my way through!
OMG,they looks great
The Settlement Cookbook has the best and easiest cornbread recipe. Made it last week with polenta for extra crunch. Would imagine it would make fantastic muffins too.
I’m also interested to know whether lower fat yogurt could be substituted AND what you’d suggest for baking pans and oven temp if I want to bake up as cornbread, not muffins. Thanks!
Hey, as a Southerner-transplanted-into-California, these look terrific!
However, tomorrow starts the 40 days (and 40 nights!) of Lent, when I traditionally give up processed sugar. If I were to substitute honey (and/or maple syrup), how should I adjust the rest of the recipe to balance out the increased liquid?
P.S. Deb – I’m so very happy and excited about the imminent addition to your family. Congratulations to all three of you!
Love these muffins! Thank you for reminding me to cook them. I used to make these adding a dollop of jam in the middle. So scrummy!
Love corn muffins and the bread. My husband hates it though so guess I’ll just have to eat them all myself.
These look fabulous, I have to try these. If you’re looking for a pre-made mix alternative to Jiffy…do yourself a favor and try the Bob’s Red Mill mix. It’s fabulous, and looks very much like your muffins when the muffins/cast iron skillet (my preference)/however you choose to make it comes out of the oven. The recipe calls for either melted butter or canola oil, I always go with the melted butter.
How do you make those cool muffin cups?
Mazel tov
Hey Polenta-girls,
I had the same question but couldn’t wait for an answer and just tried it right away :) It worked out great, probably a bit crunchier. They’re delicious! I wanted to bring them to the kids’ carnival party today but I don’t know how to leave enough of them before I eat them all. 9th month pregnant :D Congrats to your pregnancy, Deb, and thanks for this recipe that satisfies all my needs right now!
Deb,
These look fantastic. Just curious – re the organic recommendation – I agree 100% with comment #77 – what was the reason CI recommended the organic corn meal (if they gave one)?
You coasters and your weather stories. What a laugh. It’s 22 below this morning outside my door, with a windchill of 43 below. Fahrenheit. Thanks for this recipe Deb! Stay warm everybody …
Where did you go?? We live in boston where the snow is way past out eyeballs and we’re desperate for a little escape, but there’s so much to pick from! Recommendations?
Congratulations and thank you for this wonderful post! Lol, apparently I’m not the only one who has spent many months baking various recipes for corn muffins and corn bread. Many an evening after cleaning up from dinner, I would bake a new recipe. This went on for many months and I finally found one that I loved. However, us bakers are always looking for something better so I will definitely bake this recipe! Regarding the Jiffy box mix, I never used it for corn muffins as I really prefer scratch baking, but I have used it many times for that famous corn casserole/pudding and it’s fantastic. Thanks again!
Hi Deb. Corn Muffins are a delight any time. About sugar. Oh boy. How about a story.
My family came to Texas when it still belonged to Mexico, but they started out in the South. I tell you that to establish my bona fides. The first recipe I learned by heart was corn bread (we never used a mix). In a pan or in muffin tins—makes no difference to me—but the men in my family want muffins with a nice browned crust. And I use sugar in my batter—1/4 cup in fact. It makes them moist, and makes them brown beautifully with a crispy crust. But it’s a bit like Alcoholics Anonymous: “Hi. My name is Deborah and I put sugar in my corn bread.”
A family story: when my mother and my second father married, he used white corn meal. Insisted on it, in fact, because his mother always used white corn meal, which traditionally was more expensive than yellow corn meal. According to his mother, poor people used yellow corn meal. His family was dirt poor, and his mother was bitter because she’d married “down,” (her family included a governor of Texas), but there was no way in thunder she was going to let her standards slide so she paid more for white cornmeal.
Eventually my mother eased him over to corn bread with yellow corn meal, and I persuaded him that sugar was a delicious addition, but my step-sisters still buy white corn meal.
In New England, it’s called ‘Johnnycake’ !
Thank you for a great recipe with less sugar! I’m for sure gonna try these!
I just made a bean casserole with a cornbread crust the other night, and it was heavenly. Of course that is not the same thing as corn muffins — but I did think that using buttermilk and stone-ground organic cornmeal from our CSA made a real difference. Deb, how do you feel about using buttermilk? (Like some others, I also question the sugar…did you try a dash of maple syrup in any of your experiments? Maple cornbread is delicious too.)
And may I add my voice to those saying CONGRATULATIONS on the baby news!
Your fans are thrilled and excited for you and your family.
this recipe plus 2 cups of shredded zucchini makes it super moist.
surprised @ the referral to “old news”. your site is still tops for variety, quality and creativity and all without the twenty paragraph prelude with TMI. keep it up, congratulations and can’t wait to try these muffins.
I will be making these tomorrow to go with the leftover chili my friend sent home with me. I have heard great things about the Jiffy mix, but it’s not vegetarian, so I’ve never tried it. Thanks for re-engineering it! I keep trying to make the “perfect” corn muffins, but they’re always dry!
Lots of Jiffy Mix boxes in my youth as well. What were those “imitation blueberry” bits made of? Have to love those Moms.
Perfect timing! I was just thinking that I wanted to make cornbread in muffin form to go with some leftover chili I have. These might just be perfect for that if I choose to go for less, rather than more, sugar.
I made these when they came out in CI. They are amazing! I tried a version with some chopped green Chile (im from NM) which was also delicious.
I made chili on Monday and as I bought the blue Jiffy box to accompany, I was sad to do so because any other cornbread I’ve made just didn’t compare. Thank you for creating a comparable version!
I make a very similar corn muffin with brown sugar and buttermilk but no sour cream….I’m intrigued because I have truly believed the recipe I’ve used all these years is unbeatable. As usual, Deb….you have me thinking I could do better!
Most importantly, congratulations on your wonderful news! What a blessing!
I think it’s good to have several corn muffin recipes to use, depending on what else you are serving the muffins with. Your muffin recipe sounds delicious and I’ll definitely be trying it ASAP. Thank you!
I live in Georgia and years ago a local restaurant had a menu item they called “Georgia Taco”. To make it, they put a serving of chili over a piece of cornbread (or a split cornbread muffin), then covered it with lettuce, tomato, chopped onion, shredded cheese, and a dollop of sour cream (if desired). It’s an easy and delicious supper to prepare at home, and my family loves it!
Official state muffins?! I had no idea that was even a thing! Are there even 50 types of muffins?!
I’m sorry, but I don’t see where I can access the note (there is usually a link….). I’m from Texas and we don’t put sugar in our cornbread. (Besides, I can’t eat sugar!) What was your suggestion? Should I just leave off on the sugar? Thanks and congrats!
Ha! You’re right – I’m from Alabama, and no sugar in cornbread!! And always made in a cast iron skillet :)
But, I dare say if you put these in front of me I would scarf them down in about two seconds ;)
I too grew up on Jiffy brand corn mix. But my mother made it in a 9 x 9 brownie pan. Will this recipe work with that, or will it need temperature or timing adjustments. Thanks for another great recipe!
These are fabulous. They worked despite a baking soda/powder mix-up for me (I tried to scoop them out of the bowl and remeasure, but it was certainly not exactly right, even ‘fixed’). I reached for my paper muffin cups and found… nothing. So I grabbed the silicone ones that I hate, hate, hate to wash and used those instead. Mine are slightly smaller than a standard muffin (Why?!?), but in case it helps anyone, this recipe filled 16 of those perfectly. I was a little nervous about how full they were, but the muffins mounded nicely and didn’t overflow at all.
recipe note: Those reading carefully (or with baking experience) probably won’t have trouble, but I did notice that when you mention cooking the cornbread mixture someone could get confused about which cornbread mixture they are supposed to heat unless they have read the post above the recipe.
My husband and I headed to Mexico this weekend and being the high is 1 degree in Chicago tomorrow, I do not feel the least bit guilt about it. Glad you had a good time on your vacation!
Was excited to see your cornbread recipe, my husband too! He loves your recipes! He doesn’t like yogurt or sour cream…any recommendations for a substitute?
Melanie (#34) maïzena does the trick for me.
The muffins look wonderful! But you must not know any of the southerners I grew up with. They would be horrified to make cornbread without a liberal amount of sugar (much like with iced tea)! I grew up on lovely unsweetened cornbread, but my mother is a transplant from the elsewhere.
These look so good! I want to try the recipe, but bake in jalepenos (my favorite thing to add to corn muffins).
As for your news – CONGRATULATIONS!!!! There is a bun-in-the-oven pun here somewhere, but I will resist :)
Wishing you and yours all the best things!
The recipe says “See Note” when it comes to the sugar, but there’s no note. Was unclear of the amount of sugar to use
These look just great and the texture is perfect! I hate getting a corn muffin only to find it dry and falling apart!
We had these tonight with the Game Day Chili recipe from bhg.com. Fantastic! I cooked the cornmeal on the stove and used 1/3 c. sugar. I ended up getting 14 muffins, two of which I baked in custard cups. I love a crustier outside, so I never use muffin liners. The kids enjoyed these too with honey butter. Thank you!
Loving those liners the muffins are in! A cute presentation and a delicious muffin: what more could you ask for? Not much, not much :)
@#109 RG The note is just above the recipe ingredients where Deb explains that she likes a sweeter muffin then the original CI recipe which used 3 tablespoons of sugar. Deb suggests 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) to 1/3 cup (5 1/3 tablespoons). It all depends on how sweet you like your cornmeal muffins. Or maybe if you are from the north or the south in the U.S of A. :)
Deb, I hate to tell you this, but CI doesn’t have the best recipe for blueberry muffins…I do! Seriously I have a fool proof recipe for bakery style muffins, with big crackly tops with golden edges and tender centers. I’d be happy to share it with you in case CI ever gets you bored :)
Corn muffins are my kids’ official muffins too, so they’ll be thrilled.
About the pecan sticky buns (also on this weekend’s menu), I must share a tip with you. Didn’t post it on the sticky bun post because, well, you are loved and it would get lost. Rather than slicing the logs with a serrated knife to get the individual rolls (which, honestly, always squish) use dental floss. What?!? Take a piece about 12-18″ long. Slip it under the rolled-log about 1 1/2″ from end. Criss-cross the ends of the floss over the top and pull until they slice off a roll. Because this basically pinches off the dough only at the exact center, no squishing! And one less knife to wash.
oooo yes! i have been craving corn muffins lately and bought all this blue corn meal! thanks for giving me a reliable recipe to use it in :)
You are so right – these look completely perfect. The melted butter.. SO GOOOOD!
Bar none – these are the BEST corn muffins ever. We made them last night and I could have eaten all 12!!
Oh, dear. Looks like the comments garden needs a little weeding. :-)
This is the perfect recipe! I made them in a muffin tops pan and they disappeared! I cannot wait to make them in the waffle maker to serve with our potluck soup lunch tomorrow! Thanks Deb!!!
I often use a cornbread batter over a mix of ground beef, corn, black beans, onions, tomato sauce (whatever you like) in a iron skillet-making a “pot pie” so to speak. This will be perfect.
These will be perfect with my late winter, sick of everything else chili!
Hey Deb, these look delicious!
Can you make the batter ahead and them bake them the next day?
Mélanie and other “polenta people”: I make cornbread in France all the time, and I use 1/2 polenta (the instant Italian kind) and 1/2 “farine de mais”, which is much finer than cornmeal, to substitute for the cornmeal. To me it’s a great compromise: not too crunchy and not too soft.
I am an index nerd, I will admit it off the bat. I have a request/question and that is have you ever thought about creating a category in your archive for fridge (not freezer) “make ahead?” I am a huge fan of what I call “culinary insurance” so that I like to have things lounging in the fridge that will be good or even better after a week or two. The insurance is great for nights where all you can make is grilled cheese but you find yourself delighted to have these morsels hanging around to round out the meal. I may be dreaming I realize since right now that category for me basically involves sweet pickled beets with onions, (with a fair bit of sugar which acts as a preservative) cabbage slaws, Yemenite chile paste (tons of garlic and jalapeño party) a garlic based fresh lemon salad dressing from Marci Goldman and a sauce for ice cream that merges espresso, Scotch and fresh orange juice. I am wondering what else might fit into the category? I would love to hear some ideas. I am making a dinner for a wedding party in a few weeks!
Kitchen suffering is overrated. Planning is a girl’s best friend.
PS
B’sha ah tovah on the baby. May the new life arrive at a good time!
Motherhood is the best gift.
As a first-generation American, I prefer my cornbread unsweet, and my corn muffins sweet. Preferably split and grilled with butter. Mmmm. And as a Rhode Islander, I must mention what some people have referred to as “johnnycakes” above — johnnycakes in Rhode Island are very, very thin pancakes made of cornmeal, served with butter and syrup. Sample recipe here: http://www.cooks.com/recipe/sr1vp59z/rhode-island-johnny-cakes.html
Enjoy your warm weather while you can, Deb! I would be jealous except I’m going to Arizona for a long weekend soon, and that’s what’s getting me through all this snow and cold.
These look great, we make corn bread which I eat with butter and honey. My wife likes her’s the next morning with milk and sugar which she claims is Pennsylvania Dutch.
Have you ever thought about a variation of English Muffins with flax seed and flax meal added to the bread dough and flax meal added to the corn meal used before frying.
Ah, corn muffins are THE BEST! I’ll take one smothered in butter over a pie/chocolate cake/other rich dessert any time.
I am not a fan of baking muffins and have been on the hunt for a cornbread recipe to make in my cast iron skillet. Alas, the best of both worlds! I lived in ATL for 20+years, now live in CA. I never thought I would taste yummy cornbread ever again. I just baked these muffins (complete with the pretty parchment paper cups) this eve and also made the mushroom farro soup. So good together. Thank you for sharing and congrats to you and your family : )
Congratulations!!! I love all your recipes. Most recently i have been devouring your favorite brownies, I think I’ll try this next. You just make it sound so yummy! I’m also geared up for the pear/oat/chocolate/raspberry crumble, do I need ripe pears for that? Or can I just cook them a little longer?
Hi Deb, long time fan! Quick question: how do you think this recipe would fair in a waffle iron? My household is very into waffles AND corn bread….how can I marry them? Thanks!
Hi Deb, these are what I have been searching for! We make your perfect blueberry muffins almost weekly in this house so I am happy to have a new recipe to try! I am also pregnant and feel a little kindred spirit towards you because I think my son is about the same age as yours. Good luck with everything!!!
It looks like a winning recipe to me. I like the addition of yogurt in most anything. It seems to make bake items more moist. Funny about where your Mom got her prize recipe.
Oh yeah—I am not freezing her in the Pacific NW—55 to 60. BUT even so those palm trees look mighty wonderful!
I just made the corn muffins and they were tasty but very dense.
Is this how they were supposed to be?
You know what I want? Corn waffles! Deb, can you please create a recipe? Thank you!
I’m sorry, if you put flour in it, it is not cornbread. It’s a corn flavored biscuit and it’s gross. Even worse, you put sugar in it. That makes it a corn flavored doughnut which is even grosser. I don’t know why Yankees think corn meal needs help. Corn is plenty sweet. Ditch the flour and you won’t need the sugar either.
Yellow Cornmeal= Polenta?
@145 pjcamp, sorry to respectfully disagree, but I have made cornbread with only cornmeal and don’t particularly like the texture. Saying you can’t add flour to cornmeal and get cornbread is like saying you can’t add white flour to wheat flour and have whole wheat bread or that you can’t add white flour to rye flour to make rye bread. Just isn’t so. There are many recipes and they are not inferior just because you add a little flour or even sugar. It all depends on what you like. Of course it doesn’t hurt to have a few different style cornbread recipes either. They are different but they can all be good.
Well, except for the part where I left them in the oven 5 minutes too long, forgetting about them as I was washing dishes, these turned out great! Most often, by request I make your Corniest Corn Muffins (minus the fresh corn… it’s weird to me), but I love corn*bread*. These had a little more of the body I was looking for but still the tenderness my fiance prefers. I could have certainly gotten at least 14, maybe even 16, muffins, but I crammed the batter into 12. My baking powder is getting a bit old so they spread more than puffed, but in any case didn’t overflow and so despite my all-around shoddy kitchen work this evening, they were a great side to the chili I managed to not screw up too badly.
I just made these Gluten-Free and they were delicious! I used a boxed GF baking mix. They took a few minutes longer than 17 minutes to bake- not sure if this is the GF or just my particular oven. Also, I’m glad I used taller disposable baking cups as they did rise up. I used all medium grind cornmeal because that’s what I had on hand; the cooking of part of the cornmeal definitely made the muffins more creamy.
These look delicious!
Also, what is with the spambot posting love spell comments??
My fantasy corn muffins are the ones I got while working in a Philadelphia hospital cafeteria in the early 70s. They were the only reward for having to go in @ 5:30 am to draw blood.There were so many ethnicities that worked together in that kitchen! I always suspected that lard was the secret but maybe it is cooking the cornmeal. How exciting! Can’t wait to try.
These really are perfect! The only thing I added to the method was to lightly toast the cornmeal, mush portion only, to perk up the corn flavor a bit. I did it by swirling it in the sauce pan right before I added the milk. It has the same effect as toasting nuts for baking. I got this technique from a cornbread recipe from Cooks Country (another Chris Kimbel test kitchen!) and it really did make a difference in the corn flavor. I may toast all the cornmeal next time. The texture of these muffins is exactly the way I like cornbreads; just lightly gritty. I used 1/4 cup of the sugar cuz it’s easier to scoop than measure by Tbsp’s..(so lazy!) Thanks, Deb, I’m so glad you tested this for us!
Using polenta instead of cornmeal — It should work just fine, however, the end result will be grittier, from what I’ve experienced. If you have a superfine polenta, definitely use it instead here.
Pat — They’ve got a pretty compact crumb. Most of their charm is in a crispy lid and tender center, great warmed or toasted with butter.
Karen — I’m worried they wouldn’t because there maybe isn’t enough egg to hold them together. Cornmeal, of course, has no gluten so there’s nothing stretchy/terribly binding in them. But I don’t think it would hurt to pour one into a well-oiled waffle iron and see.
Leslie — Welcome, index nerd. You’re among friends. :) I agree, a Make Ahead category could be great. But, I also think that just about everything can be in one way or another. (I trrrry to list at the bottom and sometimes within recipes parts that you can “Do ahead:”) I might be overthinking this. I mean, I’ve now even made fried eggs before I needed them (although, all of 20 minutes).
Liz — OMG, send it over if you’re willing to share. We’ll have a Blueberry Muffin Throwdown! (It’s 5pm and I skipped lunch and this sounds like the best idea in the world right now.)
Lindsey — While I highly doubt he’d taste it here — in baking, it much more about dairy with enough acidity to activate the baking soda — you could try buttermilk instead, though I suspect he may not like it for the same reason.
Jen R — Thanks, now fixed.
Questions about the sugar “Note” — It was up top (i.e. in the recipe head notes). I’ve clarified it now; sorry for the confusion.
Laura — For a muffin, I wouldn’t worry about throwing off the balance — you could just use 3T or the like of honey in with the liquid ingredients. Hope you enjoy them.
Sally — I don’t think it would be a problem to replace the milk with buttermilk or kefir.
ATG — I mean, not at breakfast time, maybe with lunch or dinner or soup. I wanted to make a muffin that was like the ones I knew growing up. I.e. corncake, but less sweet. :)
Abby — I think you could add berries. Usually the issue is sinkage, not flavor. But, this batter is pretty dense and I find sinking to be less of an issue with thick batters. Mmm, blueberry-corn, raspberry-corn…
pjcamp — While I understand your argument, I don’t think these muffins were even once referred to cornbread, in fact, I make a clear distinction.
Laceflower — Just buy the cornmeal your store has. Even if it’s a little more coarse, it should still work, it will just make for a grittier muffin. Most likely, it’s a fine grind, as that’s what most people use. Semolina flour isn’t actually a corn product (it’s from processing wheat, as far as I understand) although it can feel a lot like fine cornmeal in your hand. It would bake up differently, maybe not terribly though.
pattyk — I agree! I was perplexed.
Amanda — Good point. I’ll take a look at the book.
I have high standards for muffins but wanted to try to make these a *little* healthier so I could feel ok about serving them with your three bean chili for dinner. I subbed whole wheat pastry flour for all the white flour and Greek yogurt (2%) for the sour cream. Used 2% milk, 2.5 T sugar. Only had about 3/4 cup fine cornmeal so used whole grain coarse cornmeal for the rest and just let the batter rest for 10 mins to soften the uncooked coarse cornmeal. They were absolutely delicious. Oh and spraying the muffin tin, rather than using papers, made a delicious toasty crust on all sides. The chili was awesome too.
These muffins are fantastic- the cornmeal cooking tip really made a difference! Also, I put blueberries in half my batter and they were delicious. Finally a corn muffin that isn’t dry! Thank you!
Bookmarked this website page, will come back for more articles. You ROCK! I found just the info I already searched everywhere and just could not come across. What a perfect site.
Of course, being an experienced baker I just looked at the ingredients and decided to make these muffins. Of course, I did not read the directions. And I was making them with gluten free flour since I do have Celiac . So ……..of course I did not cook the cornmeal and made them as a straight up muffin recipe and they came out absolutely delish!! Wonderful recipe that I will print and keep in my gluten free binder. Only cheat was I did not have sour cream and used Greek Yogurt. I froze some knowing I was going to visit my daughter and when defrosted were just as tasty and better yet “fresh” tasting. Usually I make my own blend of gluten free flour following America’s Test Kitchen recipe but I had some Pamelas’s on hand. Next time I won’t be in such a rush and read the directions! Congrats on baby #2!!!!
Can cornmeal get old & lose flavor? I SO wanted these to be perfect because everything else I make of yours is…but these weren’t. They were oddly not very corny and rather bland. Full disclosure: I used GF flour and yogurt so maybe that changed things? But I’d love to know if old cornmeal might be the issue.
These were the best corn muffins ever! I have never had great success making corn muffins before. That’s now behind me, so thank you!
I don’t know if it’s the fact that I also grew up on Jiffy corn muffins, but wow! These were better than I knew corn muffins could be! They were fluffy, moist, sweet and delicious! I only substituted almond milk for mine. I am making an attempt to freeze the batter (portioned in tins, then transferred to a freezer bag). Do you think it will keep well without getting dense? I just love them right out of the oven! Thanks for the recipe! <3
Nicole — I have never frozen batter before; I’m not sure how it would work at all. But, I did freeze most of this batch of muffins and they’ve been reheated very well, even defrosted/warmed inelegantly in the microwave, as we did when we got home famished from the airport at 10:30 Saturday night and were too tired/exhausted for a real dinner!
Wendy — I suppose it could. I actually suspected that mine was pretty old before making these (I mostly use it for dusting pizza stones) and bought new stuff. I would say if you stick your nose in the jar and it doesn’t smell fresh or appealing, you can toss it. I use the sniff test for just about everything. ;)
These muffins are great. I am from the New England and a transplant in the state of Georgia. I started making these muffins when I discovered I was unable to buy a corn muffin. I haven’t made them for quite some time. I see an additional technique is used now by cooking the cornmeal. I will be trying this new version.
Hi there from the Netherlands. I made these with coarse semolina. No idea what cornbread or corn muffins should taste like, but these are delicious!
Haha, silly me, I am browsing through the comments and only now I notice the comment about semolina not being corn. Still, they taste amazing :P
This recipe came in at just the right time as I had volunteered to make cornbread for a potluck. I made them on Sunday and they were easy to make and were a big hit (as are all Smitten recipes). I got 18 nice size muffins with nicely browned tops. Even my friends who are gluten, egg, sugar, dairy free couldn’t resist those tops! My one comment actually comes from eating the leftover one in my lunch today. Several days old, it still tasted great, however as I broke the muffin apart it had wispy, stringiness between the muffin pieces – kind of like cotton candy or spider webs. It was very odd. Any idea what might have caused that?
Thank you for this! I tasted cornbread for the first time in 1995 when I was spending a year in France and met an American lady who invited some of us over for dinner. She served us chilli and cornbread and ever since then I’ve been trying different recipes to chase down the deliciousness of that meal. Finally I have found it! Not too sweet, not too bland, just perfect. And the best part is that out of all my attempts, this is the first recipe that my children have been happy to eat! Will definitely be making these again! Thank you – and congratulations on your happy news xx
I just made these and they are incredible. I don’t think I’ve ever had better cornbread than this before. Thank you for sharing.
Outstanding. I am happy to report that I ended up with 18 muffins!!!!!!!!!! I went with the 5 tablespoons of sugar and, yes, these are perfect corn muffins.
Thank you!
Congrats on the new bun in the oven. My unsolicited two cents: naps, naps, naps.
Perfect all the way from israel! How long will these keep for and do I need to refrigerate?
Bat7 — They store best at room temperature for a couple days, or the freezer for longer.
These muffins turned out fantastic! Nicely browned tops, and delicious creamy texture. Usually I find that corn muffins dry out really fast if you don’t eat them the day of. Not this recipe – they still tasted great 1-2 days later. Thanks!
These were some of the best muffins I’ve ever had. The ones we get over here are generic and taste more like sweetened cornbread. Applesauce and mashed bananas works very well to keep the insides moist. And the crust (my favourite part) baked to perfect gold. I love the variety in texture. The best way to eat them for me is hot and straight from the oven. Thanks so much.
Wow! I am going to give these a spin in well-greased cast-iron corn stick pans..has anyone tried it this way? They are shallow cast-iron (lodge i think!) molds that are shaped like ears of corn. I bought them thinking the kids would go crazy over them. I think they also make cactus shaped pans.. Thank you for the great recipe!
Jiffy mix has lard and the non-larded brand I’d been buying is now hard to find in stores here, so I’m happy to see this recipe. I usually take the mix and add sour cream and dried minced onions to make a ‘sour cream + onion’-flavored bread to go with my vegetarian chili, so adding the onions to this recipe will work too, I’d wager.
THIS WAS AMAZING!! Thank you!! It has fulfilled my corn muffin craving :)
I feel like there are a weird amount of corn muffins floating around on the food blogosphere these past few weeks. Corn is in the air? (Cue John Paul Young). I am always itching for a good corn muffin recipe. Do you think the all-purpose could be subbed with white whole wheat?
Maggie — You probably could but I’m not sure I would. Corn muffins, especially these, are already hearty and these are 2/3 non-flour to begin with, more than most. Maybe a half-swap with white whole wheat to start?
Congratulations Deb! Also, these muffins were really really good! I used yogurt and the smaller amount of sugar, and threw in some frozen corn kernels. We were all really impressed by the wonderful texture and taste, and I’ll definitely make them again!
These look amazing. Can’t wait to try them out. Was enjoying reading the comments, too. Interesting that johnny cake means different things in different parts of the world. I am on the Canadian prairies (Saskatchewan) and here Johnny Cake is made in a pan with cornmeal and crushed graham crackers (graham flour? Is there even such a thing?). It’s served sliced from the pan warm for a not too sweet dessert, although as kids we would put maple syrup on it too. :) Thanks as always for sharing.
this sounds like such a great alternative to corn bread!
This is a very good recipe. I made it with sour milk, because when I got home from vacation, no one had stocked the sour cream or yogurt. With sour milk, they don’t get such tall peaks, but were just as yummy.
For better corn flour and corn meal, head over to Anson Mills. Where they sell the closest to milling it at home.
I grow 4 types of corn, Flint, Flour, Dent, and Sweet. To make these I freshly ground some Flint and some Flour. Normally, I use Flint for boiling (polenta or grits) and Flour for baking. But when you either pre-soak, or boil the flint, it makes a great waffle, muffin, or Zaletti Cookie.
I accidentally sifted all of the corneal with the other dry ingredients, so I had to skip the porridge step. They still turned out delicious! (Not that I’m blaming you for my mistake, but I think it would help if the ingredients list read “2 cups cornmeal, separated.”)
Heather — Good point, now fixed. Glad it all worked out.
These really are perfect. Fresh-from-the-oven texture is like a fluffy pudding. Out of this world.
That said, do you think they could be cooked in a 9×12 or loaf pans if I ran out of muffin cup liners or was in a hurry? Or would they come out too heavy?
Really like then, but I would go a bit sweeter next time. Used the full 5 Tb
Thanks so much for this recipe! They were the best ones I’ve ever made . . . AND eaten! Used yogurt instead of sour cream and worked great. Look forward to making with chilis and cheese next. : )
Thank you for the recipe ! Will definitely try it with a bit more sugar (I like mine quite sweet;)). I have a question, though; do you think I could substitute the milk and use coconut milk instead ?
Ana — Shouldn’t be a problem here at all.
These are awesome! Made with all Bob’s Red Mill. Slightly crunchy bits but I like the added texture. Made twice the recipe and added in 2 cups of blueberries and got 36 regular sized muffins. Delicious! Going to freeze some for later.
I have a CI recipe for Corn Muffins dating back to September 2002. I made them many times. It makes 12 muffins and uses 3/4 cups of sugar, more flour and less cornmeal. I imagine this new recipe would not be sweet enough for me. It also is baked at 400. I would definitely be adding more sugar. If I used the same amount of sugar for this recipe, what is your take on the final product?
Delicious, used white flour and coconut oil instead of butter, I also doubled up on the sugar Baked on convection at 400. They were golden and yummy!
Made these with Cup4Cup Gluten free flour as a substitute for all purpose flour. They are AMAZING! Thank you for yet again another WINNER!
Made these tonight … They are great! The ingredients list doesn’t indicate what kind of cornmeal to use, and I didn’t read the narrative about it until it was too late, so I used all Bob’s medium grind. It was good but maybe overly crunchy; next time I will try using Deb’s suggested ratio of half medium/half fine grind. I used 3 tablespoons sugar and found it to be the right amount of subtle sweetness. Thanks!
These were so delicious! Perfect and absolutely the best I’ve ever had! I subbed buttermilk for the regular milk as I had some that needed to be used, but followed the rest of the recipe as is. I went for the 5T of sugar & found them just the right sweetness. Thank you!
made these last night and they turned out perfectly – and exactly like the picture! (because sometimes a recipe is great and all, but you can’t help wondering how so-and-so got it to look like that.)
i needed my sour cream for tonight’s tacos, so i subbed buttermilk instead which i had left over from the cornmeal pork chops last week. i also ended up using the full amount of sugar because i spaced out while prepping and used the full amount of salt as well as salted butter. next time i’ll pay attention and dial down both, but they still turned out wonderfully. even the bottoms, which are kind of the “eh” part of a corn muffin (and most muffins, but especially corn) were awesome – they had an almost crisp-then-cake nature to them and…just gonna go have another right now.
(last night we had them with your oven baked ribs & the vinegar slaw from your cookbook. we are yankees who aren’t very into plain unsweetened dry “real” cornbread, i admit.)
Delicious corn muffins!
I made a few adaptations based on what we had around the house:
– Polenta instead of just cornmeal…mainly because I live in Europe and covet my stone-ground cornmeal from home
– Subbed in buttermilk/cream instead of milk; both were close to their use-by dates
– Regular yogurt instead of sour cream
– Brown sugar instead of regular sugar (and I thought 5 Tbsp of brown sugar turned out quite nicely)
Probably because of these substitutions, we ended up with about 16 corn muffins instead of 12. I’m not complaining. All ended well!
okay, i made them again, this time dialing the salt back to a scant teaspoon to account for the salted butter, and only using 3.5 T of sugar. i stuck with the buttermilk because i had it and it’s way easier to measure, heh. they were even better than the first time. before this i was using the jiffy mix but doctoring it a bit (a little sour cream, a little sugar, etc) but no more! these will be my go-to from here on out. had ’em with frito pie while watching the game last night :) (i.e. blasphemous chili and a bag of fritos.)
where is the recipe for perfect corn muffins
Made these tonight as I celebrated a good report from the doctor on a problem. They are worth a celebration on their own! Excellent even though I had to fudge with the yogurt/sour cream mix. I would eat them all… Alas, I know better so most are now wrapped and frozen. But two are still on the counter for tomorrow~! Thanks, Deb.
Hi Deb, I’m a first-time poster here, but your blog is one of my weekly regulars. I made these muffins last week and they were fantastic. (Leftovers, once frozen and thawed, were fantastic too–as good as fresh!) I loved them so much, I was wondering if you think this recipe would work as a cornbread, cooked in a cast iron skillet? Thanks for all your hard work and great recipes!
Danielle — I haven’t made it in a loaf or other big pan, but am also curious how it would work. I think it should be just fine, however. Do report back if you can.
I halved this and baked in a 7″ cast iron. Worked perfectly!
I just made these last night to go with some chicken chili and they were amazing. My husband claims he doesn’t usually like corn bread because it’s dry but he loved these. I had one for breakfast this morning too :)
I have a suggestion for cutting a step: don’t melt and cool the butter. Just cut the stick into slices and whisk it into the hot cornmeal batter. That will simultaneously melt the butter and begin to cool the batter.
Yup, I totally do that too. Why add the extra step? (Plus butter always splatters all over my microwave when I try to melt it in there, no matter how low and slow I do it.)
I grew up eating corn muffins from a box, but have never found anyone else who knew the brand. Has anyone heard of Dromedary Corn muffin mix? They were slightly sweet, with a crumbly texture instead of cakey. Will have to try this recipe!
I’m a weird Australian and made these as a not-too-sweet breakfast muffin for me and my young son. My changes were to add another tablespoon of sugar plus a teaspoon of vanilla powder, then I dusted the tops with cinnamon sugar before baking. OUTRAGEOUSLY GOOD! On his busy childcare (pre-school) mornings he’s been enjoying them with seasonal fruit and a hard boiled egg. Thanks for the inspiration Deb.
When I do standard cornbread to have with chili and fixings, I never stray from Crescent Dragonwagon’s buttermilk skillet cornbread, but this recipe was just as great.
These were stellar: the pleasure of contrast from the crust and the interior, and the resonant flavor!
My cast-iron muffin pan must be smaller-sized muffins, because the recipe filled 12 of them, and continued on by generously filling 2 aluminum micro-loaves (3 would have been wiser).
I’ve been eating them grilled and buttered since the luncheonette nearby did them this way in the early 60’s. Try one with a Coke with lots of ice. Neither sophisticated nor healthy but oh so good.
So delicious, I would love one or two now! :-)
Hi Deb, love the site, first time commenter here, though I rely on SK often for answers to the famous ‘what’s for dinner’ question. I ran out of my stock of Jiffy mixes, so I tried this recipe out and made it as a loaf instead of muffins. I did notice that the preparation was more of a thick dough (like bread dough) than a batter, though I suspect that this is in part because here in France there is only farine de maïs, which is much more finely ground than regular cornmeal. As a result, the outer crust seemed more a bit tough, but I’m not sure if thinning with more milk would fix it.
@Danielle (189), I made this as a cornbread in a Le Creuset skillet and the only change was that I needed to add about 17-20 mins to the baking time.
Superfoodie — Actually, that might have been on purpose. I find that the best muffins are a little thick in batter which gives them the ideal crunchy lid. However, if it was so crunchy that it was firm throughout, it might have indeed been too thick and thinning it with a couple extra spoonfuls of milk may have helped.
Hi- I’m wondering if it would be okay to replace the melted butter with veg oil (I know! The horror!). I love butter but tend to prefer the texture oil lends to muffins. Naturally, I’ll slather them with LOTS of soft butter once baked… Thanks!
These are delicious and foolproof! Made these and overcooked the cornmeal so I added more milk to get the right texture. Also, used skim milk and non fat Greek yogurt as that was all I had in the house. And I was too lazy to melt butter so I used canola oil. And all those changes did not mess it up!!! Will make these again!
I usually have no trouble with your recipes and have found several winners. I don’t know if I did something wrong here, but these tasted terrible when I made them. Heavy, sad little boulders with no savor, just clumps of corn meal. Back to the drawing board!
I have been searching for a soft sweet corn muffin, more cake than bread. I made these and although excellent, they weren’t the exact Philadelphia sweet corn muffin I was longing for. I liked the cooked corn meal approach and I might try the recipe again cooking more or all of the meal first. Holler out fellow baking fiends if you got the sweet Philly style version.
I made these! Using garbanzo bean flour to make them gluten free, which I was DUBIOUS about, but seems to have worked out wonderfully. And also added blueberries, which were a nice addition. They came out tender on the inside and gently sweet (I used 1/3 cup of sugar). The only thing that didn’t work out so well is that they are sticking like crazy to the muffin liners, more than any other muffin I’ve made before. It’s weird. Like, 1/10 of the muffin gets peeled off with the liners.
I made these for the third time. Always wonderful! I made a small pan of tiny muffins and the rest standard size. Every one loves them.
TL; DR: Make this! Plus a bonus chili recipe at the end.
Just made these for the first time. Used 2% Greek yogurt and 2% milk instead of whole and swapped out a half cup of AP flour for whole wheat flour. Also I went with the 5 tbs sugar. They came out really awesome – not dry at all (due to reduced fat content), perfectly fluffy inside and brown and crispy on top. I guess I like my corn muffins on the sweeter side, because it occurred to me that they would be super good with sugar sprinkled on top before baking. Only slight dislike was a crunchiness from the corn meal. I’ve found this with other corn bread recipes, too, so I suspect it might just be the corn meal I use. Overall, really good, will make again. Great with an adaptation of a SK chili recipe (based on the chili and cheddar biscuits, but with 2 lbs meat, double the beans, a finely diced sweet potato, a can of diced tomatoes instead of puree, some mirepoix cooked down with red wine to start, and a blend of chili powders – ancho, chipotle, cumin, cayenne, and cooked for a bit longer).
I made this cornbread tonight in loaf form and my husband and I couldn’t stop eating it—so moist, soft, and cornbready. Perfect. I used 1 cup water + 1/4 cup half and half instead of milk, full-fat yogurt instead of sour cream, and whole einkorn flour instead of AP. Divided the batter between two loaf tins and baked at 375 for about 27 minutes.
Kirsten, where did you get the einkorn flour? I have been looking all over for it!
These look great! I was thinking of making these in my mini-muffin pan…any instructions, other than less oven time? Do you think I’d get 24 wee ones out of the recipe or even more? Your thoughts appreciated!
I would love to make these- but is there any substitute I could use for the egg? My little one is allergic to eggs so I’m wondering if it’s even possible. Thanks!
Hubby whipped this up last night to go with our Moosewood Cuban Black Beans & Rice, said it was ‘a bit fussy’ (making the polenta-like base in the pot, we don’t microwave much). They turned out very well baked at 400f convection for 10 min, rotating pans, then baking another 4 min. They sat in the tin for 5 min, but then we dove right in as we were waiting for them before sitting down to dinner. As someone else said, they stuck a lot to the liners (plain, old, white, regular muffin/cupcake paper liners). I tried peeling one out the next day and the paper came off a lot cleaner, maybe they peel better when really cooled. They made exactly 12 muffins and had a lovely texture and were very tasty. We only used 3Tbs of sugar, cut the butter to 6Tbs and used full fat sour cream.
Thinking about making these for our “bread” at thanksgiving. Do they freeze well?
I would also like to know if they freeze well or how far in advance I can prep them? I want to make them for thanksgiving dinner. Thank you so much. I love your blog.
Everybody loved these delicious muffins!
I made a few changes, as I veganized them. I used 2 flax eggs, i.e. 1 tbsp ground golden flax seeds mixed with 2.5 tbsp water per egg, a mix of coconut yogurt and coconut milk (from can) in lieu of sour cream/yogurt, Ripple milk for regular (I just happened to have it on hand, would have used almond or coconut as well), and also, used 3/4 cup of blue corn meal which made these a pretty shade of blueish. So I can state that this recipe can be very easily made vegan and it is amazingly delicious! :-)
Thank you for sharing!
Ran out of cornmeal and had to use a coarse-grind polenta to make up the difference. I used it for the cooked-with-milk portion. Anyway, they still turned out lovely. Thanks!
Made these to go with chili – turned out beautifully, but I wish I’d added more sugar (did 4, probably could happily have done >5). I like a sweet corn muffin!
Attention inattentive distracted bakers who arrive home late and try to whip up something tasty to go with the crock pot meal! You can completely mess this up (e.g. mixing all the dry ingredients so the cornmeal couldn’t be heated with the milk… even though there is the clear “divided” statement right at the top!) and it will still be wonderful! Despite this, I will try the conventional method next time!
These are great! I added a little vanilla and used whole fat Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream and they are awesome!
Hello Smitten Kitchen,
I love little bits of the corn kernel in my muffin. Could you substitute 1 1/4 c of creamed corn for the milk portion?
Claire
Making these corn muffins ASAP!
Hi deb,
Thanks so much for mentioning these muffins in this week’s post (tomato-glazed meatloaves). With a cool rainy day today, I had chili con carne on the menu and wanted a new recipe for corn muffins to go with it. I love sweet yankee cornbread and your sweeter take on this is just what I wanted.
They’re every bit as delicious as advertised and so timely! Thanks again.
What percentage of fine Indian Head cornmeal and medium grind Bob’s Red Mill
do you use? Is it half and half?
I believe it’s 1.5 cups fine cornmeal and .5 cups coarse ground cornmeal that’s cooked wit the milk. That’s how I understood the recipe and my muffins came out wonderfully
Wow!!! These muffins actually are perfect. I followed the instructions exactly and used all the correct ingredients, and these are so light and moist. I used 5 tbs sugar and there was just a hint of sweetness, and cooked the polenta on the stovetop.
I love that course cornmeal is incorporated. In past baking endeavors when I’ve used course ground polenta, the end product has too much of a bite, but you’re method of pre-cooking it is wonderful.
I felt compelled to review because I so badly wanted to make these and even more badly-er didn’t want to go to the store. Thusly, I made with several substitutions and they STILL came out wonderfully, proving they really are the perfect corn muffins. I used the 1/3 cup sugar suggested, half cup blue cornmeal (cooked this) plus yellow, unsweetened soy milk, like 7/8cup buttermilk for sour cream (made with both milk and soy milk), gf + whole wheat flour, and half butter/half canola. All based on what I had around the kitchen. And They. Are. Delicious. A strange color, but delicious like a regular delicious corn muffin made with all of the correct stuff. Thanks!
This will reveal my hoarding tendencies but if you use old parchment (i.e. that was used to wrap/roll cookie dough) it might not as easily catch fire in the oven. I threw in a 1/3ish cup of sugar, scraped out the last of a jar of sour cream + the difference in Greek-style yogurt and mounded the dough as high as it would go. They are delicious, and I still think Southern-style cornbread is weird, but I grew up two towns over from the Jiffy factory so…
Awesome muffins! … going to try out your other muffin recipes. Many thanks!
I made these today. They look beautiful, just like your pictures but the taste….well, there is none almost. It is so bland. I checked and rechecked. I did nothing wrong. I am sure of it. I even had another person check. I was and still am so sad. I even had three people taste them and tell me their honest thoughts. All said the same,….virtually no flavor or “bland”. This is the first time I have had a recipe from you fail me.
This was my experience today, sadly. I’m so disappointed.
Made them today using Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten free flour, they were moist and scrumptious. This will be a regular recipe in my kitchen
I had high hopes for this recipe, but they were only ok. It also made more than expected – my muffin pans were overflowing so I pulled out another pan and got 16 muffins instead of 12. I used 5 T of sugar and agree it needs more. But they were also somewhat dry and very dense – not a light muffin at all. Do you think buttermilk could replace the milk? Despite the yogurt, the muffins might benefit from more tang. The perfect corn muffin eludes me – I will try your original version.
Replaced half the butter with bacon drippings, greased my pans with bacon fat, and added chopped bacon. Delicious with navy beans with ham hocks!
Casey, Ididn’t think these muffins could get better, but I’m definitely going to try this!
Hello! I, too, made the Savory Corn Muffins just now. I loved the structure and appearance of them. However, no sweet taste at all!! I think next time I will try not just the 1/3 cup of sugar, but . . . 1/2 cup of sugar. Saw the recipe on America’s Test Kitchen yesterday. For now, we just put a thin layer of strawberry jelly or whatever one likes on each half. Thank you for sharing this :)
Can i addjalepeno and cheddar to these?
Sure, I bet it would be delicious. Maybe add it to the polenta?
I made these muffins. They are insanely good. I could eat all of them. My toddler deserves none.. NONE I SAY
On a more helpful note, I added probably about a 3/4 cup of fresh corn kernels and also subbed in some of the regular milk for almond milke, because I had some I needed to use up. Came out great.
Hi!
Do you think folding fruit (strawberries and/or peaches diced small) into this batter would change the baking too much? I have some fruit that needs using up but I don’t want the batter to get too wet. Has anyone tried it with fruit?
Hi Deb! I’m thinking of making these and adding blueberries to make them extra summery. Is that crazy? Is there any reason why it wouldn’t work?
Whoops, just saw the comment above. Guess I’m not the only one! Would love to hear how it turned out for others.
I don’t have enough sour cream (only 1/4 cup) can I sub buttermilk for the rest, and if so should I alter the milk? I have cream cheese and mascarpone – but they seem like they’d be too dense. Thanks!!
It’s 85 degrees in Milwaukee today, window A/C units have been removed and I just popped in a tray of these. Having chili for the game this afternoon with friends, and must have an easily portioned out corn bread to go with. The cooked corn meal and sour cream sold me on this, as it reminded me of a decadent corn casserole recipe I love. I can tell by the look and taste of the batter these are going to be fantastic. Thank you so much for sharing!
I have made these several times now and they are always PERFECT. However, I always add corn to them, which makes them even better than suggested. Use the tiny can and the ratio is great :)
Just wanted to add: I’ve made this as muffins, which were fantastic. And I just tried them as cornbread, still fantastic! I doubled the recipe since I was serving a crowd and made 2 pans, one 9×13 pyrex and one 8×8. I used the same temperature and just kept a close eye on them for doneness. Perfection!
I, too, have been searching for a really good corn muffin recipe to match bakery quality. This one comes the closest so far, and I think making the porridge/batter from the corn meal and milk makes a big difference. I was out of sour cream and plain yogurt, so substituted 1C vanilla Greek yogurt. I was surprised that this recipe didn’t call for vanilla; I tasted the batter in progress and felt it was still a bit bland, so I added 1T vanilla extract and baked for 15 minutes. I also used the maximum amount of sugar recommended (5T) but for my taste, I’d still dial up both the sugar and the vanilla extract a bit. Overall: excellent texture, good flavor, and high quality recipe. Thank you!
At last, a moist corn muffin! I used jumbo muffin cups and cooked longer. Each muffin weighs almost half a pound (well, 6.7 ounces), but man are they toothsome!
Really, really good. When I pulled these out of the oven, I wasn’t yet convinced since these seemed to cook so quickly, but of course the batter starts out warm which accounts for a good deal of the seemingly short time. Part way through cooking, I switched from convection to regular heat (we have a gas oven with an optional convection feature), as the tops were browning too quickly. Next time I will skip the convection part altogether.
After 4 muffins (ahem), I have to agree that this recipe really hit all the notes I was hoping for. Tender crumb and a moist interior, great overall cohesive texture and corn flavor. The only change I made from the recipe as written was to reduce the sugar, even below that of the CI recommendation, to 2T; I really wanted a savory flavor. A couple other things: I was lazy and didn’t mix fine and medium grind cornmeal – I used only medium (Bob’s Red Mill). Perhaps I will put in the effort to measure out the two kinds the next time I make these, but I didn’t find it necessary and neither did my dining companion. I had a little sour cream and a 7oz cup of plain greek yogurt which I mixed to equal 1C – which also worked just fine. Last but not least, I cooked the cornmeal & milk on the stovetop instead of in the microwave, stirring with a small whisk; it worked perfectly. The only thing I would change in the assembly is to sift together the flour, baking powder, and soda to eliminate lumps in the dry ingredients – I noticed some of either the baking powder or soda did not incorporate well into the batter.
These turned out perfect and were just the non-Jiffy, homemade muffin I was looking for without compromising on flavor. They were better than Jiffy in my opinion, not just because they were from scratch. I made them exactly as described with no substitutions; though I did have one addition — 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels folded in. Delicious served with honey butter!
So a couple years ago I moved to Mississippi and discovered the pure box of awesomeness that is Jiffy mix. So I guess my question to you is – you seem to be trying to find a substitute for what is so easy to just buy. So inexpensive, too. Is that right? If so, why not just buy Jiffy mix? Are your muffins better than Jiffy?
I haven’t had Jiffy in like 20+ years so I cannot say for sure, but these, to me, have more heft and a better muffin top — crisp and a little thick.
Should you ever visit SC stop by Adluh Mills on Gervais St in Columbia. Adluh is a nationally know flour and cornmeal mill. Your recipe is the recipe I’ve used for years to make corn muffin and cornbread. I love your blog, … read and share it with my friends often.
These were great. Since I grew up on sweet corn muffins (I’m from the North!) and wanted to serve these as a sweet element of a brunch, I increased the sugar to 1/2 cup and added some dried Craisins. I love that these are 2/3 cornmeal to 1/3 flour.
I had some not-homemade bean and quinoa chili in the freezer so I went looking for a homemade cornbread recipe to assuage my guilt. Thankfully I always check Smitten Kitchen first and I was not disappointed. My kids and I made these as mini-muffins today when they were home sick from school. They smell, look, and taste delicious. Apparently even the batter is yummy!
To make this in a cast iron pan what size would I need, how long to cook and at what temperature? Thanks so much for what seems like a luscious cornbread.
Hi, i am looking for a good corn muffin recipe to go with my chili and love this one, but wondering if the yogurt is necessary? I only buy the small containers that contain fruit and don’t like the texture of Greek yogurt so never have it in the house. Would it make a huge difference to leave it out or can i just increase milk as a substitute?
I haven’t made it without. You could also use sour cream. Or, probably buttermilk would work (but the batter will be less thick, which will have other effects). If using milk, I’d add something acidic to it.
I LOVE corn muffins, especially the northern style (and specifically NYC deli ones) ButI’m sad to report that I made these and they were not great. The only subsitution I made was the sour cream, which I replaced with extra fat yogurt. They came out pale, pretty bland and stuck to the muffin wrappers. Totally sad about it.
I LOVE corn muffins, especially the northern style (NYC deli ones are the BEST). But I’m sad to report that I made these and they were not great. The only substitution I made was the sour cream, which I replaced with extra fat yogurt. They came out pale, pretty bland and stuck to the muffin wrappers. Totally sad about it.
I made these today, following your recipe exactly (using ingredient weight and following the saucepan instructions, 3 tbsp sugar, full fat sour cream and milk), and the muffins are fantastic! Very moist, but still distinctly cornbread. I will proudly bring them to a Thanksgiving gathering and look forward to using them as my go-to base recipe for future variations.
Is it possible to sub the milk with any non-dairy alternative? Like almond milk or coconut milk/cream?
I’d think so!
Any suggestions on how to sweeten them up (already used max sugar listed)?
they are pretty and the texture is lovely but they are a little blander than I was expecting – probably expecting the sugared up bakery/restaurant version I suppose.
I did only half lowfat yogurt instead of full fat – would that be the clincher?
You could add more sugar; it will work just fine.
I love how these come out tender, moist, not too grainy, and also corny enough that they don’t just taste like yellow cake. It’s fun mixing up the corn pudding gloop—reminds me of my mud pie days. Yogurt substituted for sour cream worked fine.
I have made these w Greek yogurt and they’re pretty good. But today I made them w sour cream and they were AMAZING. So tender and moist. And they look really beautiful. They dome so nicely and don’t collapse as they cool. (I spray the inside of the muffin liner to prevent sticking)
I have made this multiple times now – and they are, in fact, perfect! No modifications needed (I used full fat greek yogurt and whole milk). Rich enough to eat plain, decadent with a little salted butter. I am going to try it with honey butter this time.
Oh my gosh. The texture. The texture!!! They are so velvety and light. I’ve had too many dry, crumbly corn muffins in my life and these were the exact opposite. Totally worth the porridge-making step!
can I use almond flour in place of ap flour?
What can you substitute for the milk and sour cream? I was thinking almond milk for the milk but do you have suggestions for the sour cream?
You could try a non-dairy yogurt.
Just made these! I used cashew milk bc I had some to use up and fat free Greek yogurt (same) and they were perfect. I used 60 g of sugar and I wouldn’t call them sweet, but they aren’t bitter either. I got 18 muffins out of the batch, which was a nice bonus! Delicious with a bowl of turkey chili on a drizzly Michigan fall day. Definitely making these again!
Delicious!
These are INCREDIBLE! I made these tonight to go with pulled pork and WOW, I’ve definitely found my go-to corn muffin. The method of microwaving part of the cornmeal with the milk really makes these so moist and perfect. I went with 1/3 cup sugar because I wanted to make sure they had a bit of sweetness but they definitely still weren’t super sweet (in the best way). Highly highly recommend!
Made these tonight and they did not disappoint. They crowned beautifully in the oven and were golden brown and moist at exactly 15 minutes. I subbed almond milk and plant based yogurt instead of sour cream and this worked perfectly! I only had a 5 oz container of yogurt so added a little splash of additional milk. So good!
I am sad to report that this recipe was quite the failure. I followed the recipe to a T and unfortunately 11/12 of the muffins ended up in the trash (which is saying a lot coming from someone who will do anything to salvage a homemade food!). I did a heaping 5 T. of sugar and yet the muffins had no sweetness whatsoever; they were dense and almost bitter. Maybe I cooked the cornmeal mixture a bit too long? I’m not sure where I went wrong, but I hope other dedicated SK followers don’t fall for this recipe as I did and end up perplexed and disappointed.
Wow, I’m so surprised that this happened to you. I’ve made this too many times to count, and it’s been perfect ever single time. My guess is that you might’ve cooked the milk and cornmeal too long, or not whisked it enough while cooking.
Made these last night in a hurry since I did not have any Jiffy mix – was not disappointed. I’ve tried other from-scratch corn muffin recipes and been unhappy with the results, but these were very Jiffy-like. I did use the higher sugar amount and thought it was perfect (still not overly sweet to my tastes). Did not get too much mounding over the rims so will be filling the muffin cups to 3/4 full in the future. Made as directed, no alterations or substitutions. Will be saving this recipe for future chili nights!
These are fantastic corn muffins! So nice and light because of cooking some of the cornmeal. They’re richer than normal, but soooo good!
My mini me wanted corn dogs for lunch so I decided to make corn dog muffins and this recipe was perfect! I used the Arrowhead Mills corn meal and the texture was perfect. I added 3 T of sugar and it was more than enough sweetness for us. Thank you for this recipe from both myself and my mini me :)
These corn muffins are the best! I, like Deb, have been searching for my perfect corn muffin recipe and have had no luck. The ones I have tried have been either too dry and basically a choking hazard, or sickly sweet with far too much sugar to be served with any dinner. These babies, with just the right amount of sugar and moisture and an almost creamy-ness to them, will be my new go-to corn muffins!
Can I make and freeze these?? Eat some now, save some for a later date…?
Absolutely
Any thoughts on if these can be made a few days in advance?
They can. However, I really find muffins best on the first day. After the first day, it’s better to either freeze them or plan to split and toast them when serving.
I just made probably my 50th batch of these muffins and I just have to say, I am always amazed at how wonderful they are! Perfectly corny and full of craggily craters to drizzle with butter! Thank you for providing such a wonderful recipe. Everyone should go out and make these right away, they are sure to become a secret family recipe that you will make again and again!
We made the corn muffins this morning as part of my son’s school-at-home US History lesson on Massachusetts. We love that Massachusetts has a “state muffin”. And we LOVED these muffins. My son gave them 4 thumbs up!! Even more perfect with honey butter.
These were delicious! All I had was course ground cornmeal and the muffins were still really good. Used half whole yogurt and half sour cream also.
I made these and they came out delicious! 10/10 would definitely make again!
Another long-time fan and first-time commenter here.
I just made these with my homegrown Mandan Clay Red corn — a true flour corn. Used whole milk and whole-fat yogurt. Heavenly!
I wonder if some of the failures described in the comments simply have to do with poor-quality, older, too-coarse corn meal? I’m spoiled rotten, of course, being able to grow my own.
Simplify, simplify: I cooked the corn mush on the stove top in a larger pot than I needed, then added the butter in chunks straight to it. No need to pre-melt: it melts into the cooked corn and cools it at the same time. Then I added all the other ingredients straight into the cooking pot. Voilà! A one-bowl (pot) recipe.
Because this corn is so high in fine starches, I’m thinking that an all-corn version might also work. That will be the next experiment.
Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
So this morning I made a half recipe of Ina Garten’s cranberry fruit conserve for this year’s Super Small Super Thankful Thanksgiving, and find myself with half a bag of cranberries. What to do? Chop them up and put them into these corn muffins along with a smidge of orange zest. I’ve made these a few times and that extra step with the corn meal and milk in the microwave really makes a difference. Arbiter of All Baked Goods (husband) says, “Never stop making these”. Happy Thanksgiving.
Would it be ok to replace the flour with corn flour? <3 asking from abroad where I accidentally bought a shi*tload of corn flour by accident because of language differences!
I’m not sure without testing it. Cornflour as in cornmeal (coarse, gritty) or corn starch (fine, very soft)?
Love this recipe. I make it in an iron skillet instead of a muffin tin. My husband, who isn’t a cornbread eater, likes this recipe. It’s one of best cornbread recipes I’ve ever made. It’s light, moist, and delicious.
Baking corn muffins to go with our good luck bean soup for New Year’s Day this year. The corn muffins signify gold coins .
Long time reader, first time commenter. I made these, and they’re delicious. However, they’re so hard to eat! Mine came out so crumbly that they’re even hard to eat with a fork. I’d like to adjust the recipe and try again. I’m thinking maybe an addition egg to bind it together better? Or perhaps increasing the amount of cooked cornmeal? What do you think? Your wisdom would be much appreciated!
Thank you for your recipes. You are my go-to for baking and dinner—a hard combination to find!
As someone from the Midwest and has tastebuds, I love all things corn—especially various corn breads. I used coarse ground corn meal for the microwave part, fine for the rest. I always mix coarse ground in all corny bread things for texture. One thing I did change, I used buttermilk instead of sour cream. Since I make cultured buttermilk I almost always have it. Of course the batter was not thick, and I somehow ended up 17 muffins (heck yea!). I used 5 tablespoons of sugar and it was still quite savory with just a bit of sweet. Indeed, these are perfect. I will be making these pretty often from here on out.
Looks so good. I have on hand, Stone Ground self rising white corn meal mix. Would that work in place of yellow corn meal? TIA
You’d need to use it to replace the leavening too, and, depending on the ingredients, the salt. Which is to say: I’m not positive it will work here because there are too many variables.
It’s a rainy all day day here in PA. Decided I needed a bit of sunshine today and these muffins brought it!
Amazing recipe! I’m always looking for different muffins to make my toddler who is an extremely picky eater. I made these as written and added carrots and hemp seeds (to boost nutritional content for him) with great success. Thanks for being a constant source for tried and true recipes!
I, too, have been searching for years for the perfect corn muffin recipe (and grew up on Jiffy brand – thanks, mom). Well, the search has ended… with barely a crumb left on the plate. Thank you, Smitten Kitchen (Deb)! 🥰
Hmm, these were not a win for me. I followed the recipe nearly as written – I used mostly 2% milk (because that’s what was open) and used the full-fat yogurt alternative (that’s what I had). Split the difference on the sugar (4 TBS). The muffins stuck to the paper wrappers and had a prominent baking soda taste. Wonder if things would be different had I used full fat milk and sour cream?
I’m super excited to try these as I too have not found that perfect corn muffin (without corn)! A question – do you see an issue or have a suggestion if mix in blueberries? Absolutely love reading your posts!
I mixed in frozen wild blueberries to half of mine and they taste great, just needed an extra 2 minutes to bake. Very good.
Made these are they are phenomenal. Yes I loved Jiffy as a child and yes I have struck out too many times with most other from scratch recipes.
I’ve been looking for a GOOD corn muffin recipe for ever. I can’t wait to try it. Thank you!
I have been having a hankering for corn bread for awhile now. However, I’m still recovering from Covid, and don’t have a lot of energy. While the ingredients here sounded good, I didn’t have it in me to cook the mush. Just mixed together the dry ingredients and added in the wet ingredients. I went a bit higher on the sugar (around 2/3 cup) because that is how I roll. The batter was a bit more runny than pictured given that I didn’t do the cooking thing, but the muffins were moist and tasty, even though they didn’t get the crack on top. I wound up with 12 muffins and still had enough leftover to fill a cake pan. The muffins took a little less time (maybe 11-12 minutes) and the cake pan also finished quickly (around 10 minutes). While I’d be interested in trying the cooking method, I’m pretty happy with how these turned out.
It’s always seemed odd to me that Yankee cornbread is sweet and southern is not given their penchant for sweet tea and salad dressings. I normally use about 1 tb of sugar in cornbread recipes but went with 1/4 c today. The muffins are moist, tender and don’t seem overly sweet; very nice!
Just made this (as did my culinary students) and they were delicious! Used this recipe to illustrate gluten free baking – substituted gf flour for the all purpose and still had great texture! Used Kosher salt (didn’t read the recipe close enough…oops!) and fortunately cut it down to 1 tsp. but would cut back even more probably 3/4 tsp. in the future if using Kosher salt. I grew up on the Jiffy corn muffin and these fill that void in a more delicious, gluten free way :)
that’s awesome. Your method is much appreciating by us. we are manufacturer of UVGI system to kill germs bacteria from air due to that all types of food can be safe from germs viruses and pathogens.
Mazel tov
Awesome. High-quality muffins have a thin, evenly browned crust. Top is symmetrical, but looks rough. When broken apart, texture is uniform and crumb is tender and light.
How have I missed this recipe? The muffins were amazing, and the texture was unlike any corn muffin I’ve made–hearty, moist, craggy, full of flavor. We had them along with your turkey chili, and it was such a delicious Halloween dinner. Thank you for all you do, Deb!
I made these last night to go with soup. I only had 1 cup of cornmeal, so I halved the batch. In addition, it was coursely ground cornmeal, so I just cooked up ALL the cornmeal in the microwave, placing it in an 8-cup glass measuring cup — it’s goopy rather than soupy, but still works. Then I just added the rest of the ingredients right into that big glass measuring cup, which made it a one-dish mix — much more my vibe! The half-batch made 9 muffins with they way I portioned the batter into paper-lined tins — top surface of the batter was a bit below the rim. For the liners, I buy a product called Gifbera Natural Liners – they are the best and muffins never stick to them. Thank you for a great recipe!