This homemade Sweet Cornbread recipe takes just 10 minutes of prep time and is ready in just half an hour. It is moist and fluffy with the perfect hint of sweetness. It’s delicious with or without a pat of butter and a drizzle of honey for serving.
This Sweet Cornbread recipe is super quick and easy. It’s baked in a muffin pan so it comes in perfectly portioned, individual serving sizes. It is an excellent side dish to pair with BBQs in the Summer, and chowder in the Fall. It has just enough sweetness to compliment the corn flavor.
How to make sweet cornbread muffins
Sweet Cornbread Ingredients and Substitutions:
- Cornmeal is the main ingredient that makes cornbread – well… cornbread! It comes in coarse, medium and fine grind. This recipe uses coarsely ground cornmeal to take full advantage of the texture and flavor of the grain.
- All-purpose flour is used in cornbread to develop gluten and give the bread its structure. You can substitute white whole wheat flour or whole wheat flour to make it whole grain.
- Dark brown sugar is added to give this sweet cornbread its main characteristic, sweetness. You can substitute light brown sugar as well as granulated sugar. But with granulated sugar, you won’t get the subtle molasses note.
- Buttermilk keeps the cornbread moist. Regular milk can be substituted but be sure to select whole milk.
- Baking powder and baking soda are used in this recipe to help the cornbread rise during baking. Note: baking soda is also added to neutralize the acidity in the buttermilk. If you’re using regular milk, you can omit baking soda.
- Egg binds all the ingredients together.
- Salt is a flavor enhancer, used to bring out the depth and complexity of all the other ingredients in the recipe.
- Unsalted Butter adds flavor and keep cornbread moist. If you substitute salted butter, you may need to omit the salt or risk the cornbread becoming too salty.
Can I bake this in a baking dish or cast iron skillet?
Yes, you can use this recipe to make a skillet cornbread using a 10” cast iron skillet or simply bake it in a 9” square baking pan instead of a muffin pan. Note that if you opt not to use the muffin pan you will need to increase the oven temperature to 425°F and increase the baking time to about 25 – 30 minutes.
What can I add to cornbread?
There are a number of mix ins you can add to cornbread if desired.
- Shredded cheese for a cheesy twist.
- Jalapeños if you want a little kick, like this Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread.
- Fresh or frozen corn kernels for even more corn flavor. You can also use drained canned whole kernel corn.
FAQs
Why is my cornbread dry and crumbly?
Cornbread is supposed to be a little crumbly but it shouldn’t be dry if made correctly. If your cornbread is dry, perhaps you didn’t add enough liquid. Or you’re using too high a proportion of cornmeal to wheat flour, which results in the cornbread not having enough gluten to hold it together.
How long does cornbread last?
Wrapped well in plastic, foil, or stored in an airtight container, cornbread should last 1 – 2 days at room temperature and up to a week in the refrigerator.
How do I reheat cornbread?
- You can warm cornbread in the oven. Preheat oven to 350°F, wrap cornbread in foil and heat for 10 – 15 minutes.
- You can also warm cornbread in the microwave. Place cornbread on a microwaveable dish, drape a damp paper towel over it and heat for 20 – 30 seconds.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment, send me a photo, rate it and don’t forget to tag me @wildwildwhisk on Instagram. I’d love to see what’s cooking up in your kitchen. Cheers!
📖 Recipe card
Sweet Cornbread
Ingredients
- 1 cup cornmeal
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter (melted and cooled)
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 1 ½ cup buttermilk (room temperature)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°Butter a 12-cup regular size muffin pan.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt, whisk together.
- In a small bowl, add eggs, butter and buttermilk, beat to combine. Pour the liquid mixture into the mixing bowl containing the dry ingredients. Fold with a spatula until thoroughly mixed.
- Divide the batter equally into the 12 muffin cup cavities.
- Bake for 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and let the pan cool for 5 minutes.
- Loosen the side of each cornbread from the muffin pan with a butter knife, flip the pan over and they should all pop out easily.
Notes
- Use coarse cornmeal for the rustic texture and the most apparent corn flavor in this recipe. Medium and fine grind may yield a lighter texture cornbread but the corn flavor will be less apparent.
- White whole wheat flour or whole wheat flour can be substituted to make this recipe whole grain.
- Milk can be substituted, but be sure to select whole milk. If using whole milk instead of buttermilk, omit baking soda.
- To grease the muffin pan, melt the butter and brush it over every inch of the muffin pan cavities. Alternately, you can rub the butter onto the muffin pan with your fingers. Always choose butter over baking sprays whenever you can.
- If using a 10” cast iron skillet or a 9” square baking pan for this recipe, increase oven temperature to 425°F and increase the baking time to about 25 - 30 minutes.
Leyla
We don’t have buttermilk in my country can I use yogurt or milk instead?
Thanks for great recipe
Trang
Hi Leyla, yes you can substitute milk + a little vinegar or lemon juice for the acidity or plain yogurt. Maybe even try a mixture of yogurt and milk. You should be able to substitute the same amount of milk + vinegar (or lemon juice) as buttermilk but yogurt has a lower water content so you may need to add a little bit more if using just yogurt in the batter. I’ve never tried this before so I can’t guarantee the results, you may need to just try it out and see. 🙂 Let me know how it turn out!
LivinLyssa
How adorable are these little muffins? They look perfectly snack-sized.
Trang
Thank you Lyssa for stopping by!
Corina
I’ve never made any type of cornbread but it sounds like a lovely simple recipe and would be great as a snack for my kids too!
Trang
Hi Corina, if you want to add mix-in’s to entice the kids, blueberry would be great right now, or nuts and chocolate chips!
Mellissa Williams
I had cornbread in Natchez when I was doing a tour of the south of America. It was delicious served warm. My husband was surprised there was no bread or toast on the breakfast buffet!
Trang
Thank you for stopping by Mellissa! Sounds like a fun trip, I haven’t toured the South yet myself. But one day I’d like to visit every single state 🙂
Emily
It takes so long to really settle into a new house doesn’t it? I’ve never tried cornbread before but it sounds delicious, I’d love to give it a go.
Trang
Thank you for stopping by Emily! Yes, I feels like it takes years to move in. I sure hope you’ll try cornbread one day 🙂
Ginny
Love your coarse meal and that you bake them in muffins tins. Very nice!
Trang
Thanks Ginny! The muffin tin makes it easier to share 🙂