Love cornbread? These Cheddar Scallion Corn Muffins are a quicker alternative! They’re packed with savory flavors and pair perfectly with all kinds of soup, chili, and your favorite Tex-Mex dinners.
It’s no secret that I’m a creature of habit.
Once I found my favorite corn bread recipe, there was no looking back. It’s pretty much perfect!
But for some reason, I couldn’t pass up these two-bite cheddar scallion corn muffins as I flipped through Fine Cooking’s Breakfast & Brunch magazine while I was waiting for some paint to mix up at Lowe’s one Sunday morning.
What can I say? Inspiration comes at the weirdest moments sometimes!
I had already planned to pull some beef and black bean chili out of the freezer for a quick gym-night dinner recently and these corn muffins were a natural addition to this meal. They are quick to throw together and bake up in less than 15 minutes.
More Cornbread and Corn Muffin Recipes: Skillet Cornbread with Honey Butter | Chile Con Corn Corn Muffins
Ingredients
Here’s the basic shopping list of ingredients you’ll need for this corn muffin recipe. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the full list!
- Unsalted butter
- All-purpose flour
- Cornmeal – I used Quaker which is fairly fine cornmeal. Coarse cornmeal will work in this recipe as well.
- Sharp cheddar cheese
- Baking powder
- Ancho chile powder – regular chili powder works here too
- Kosher salt andfreshly ground black pepper
- Eggs
- Granulated sugar
- Scallion
The original recipe calls for roasted red peppers which I think would be an excellent add-in but I didn’t feel up to a one-ingredient grocery store trip for them. (Yeah, like I can pick up just one item at the store.)I’m sure roasted poblanos or banana peppers would totally round out these muffins as well.
The Best Corn Muffin Recipe
What makes these corn muffins so excellent is the mix of flavors. They’re a little sweet from the sugar but the sweetness is so well-balanced with a punch of savory from some ancho chile powder, sharp cheddar cheese, and scallions.
I love ancho chile powder so much and use it in so many recipes. It’s made from dried jalapeño peppers but it isn’t all that spicy. It adds a little smoky flavor to these muffins and a hint of color too!
If you don’t have or don’t like ancho chile powder, feel free to use whatever type of chili powder you have on hand. You want to use one that you’d use to make chili, not cayenne powder.
What to Serve These Muffins With
We’re no strangers to corn muffins and cornbread so I’ve got a slew of meal ideas you can make to go with these muffins.
For a low and slowweekend meal, go with this Oven Barbecued Brisket. It makes phenomenal sandwiches but served on its own with some coleslaw and these muffins on the side, it’s an unforgettable meal.
If you’re a soup fan, this Lobster Corn Chowderand my very favorite Smoky Black Bean Soup are both perfect options.
Chili screams for corn muffins! My Chili con Carne and this Crock Pot Mole Chicken Chili would fantastic with these muffins!
Cheddar Scallion Corn Muffins
Yield: 2 dozen mini muffins
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Cheddar scallion corn muffins are a fantastic and quick side to make with all kinds of soup, chili, brisket, pulled pork, and Tex-Mex meals.
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup plus 2 tbsp cornmeal
- 2 oz sharp cheddar, grated (about ½ cup)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ancho chile powder (or regular chili powder)
- Kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 scallion, finely chopped (green and white parts)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Lightly grease a mini muffin pan with butter or cooking spray.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until it turns a nutty brown color, swirling the pan occasionally. This should take about 4-5 minutes; remove the pan from the heat.
- Stir the flour, cornmeal, cheddar, baking powder, chile powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper together in a medium bowl.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, beat the eggs and sugar together until pale and thickened, about 3 minutes. Alternatively in five additions, add the dry ingredients and browned butter, stirring each addition into the batter before adding the next. Stir in the scallions.
- Divide the batter between the mini muffin cups, about 1 tablespoon per cup, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. The muffins should be springy to the touch. Let the muffins cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing and serving warm.
Notes
adapted from Fine Cooking, The Best of Breakfast and Brunch, Spring 2013
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