A good corn muffin is a beautiful thing. Slathered with salted butter, it is a supremely satisfying breakfast. Topped with vanilla ice cream and roasted strawberries, it makes a surprisingly tasty dessert. But where it really shines is as an accompaniment to chili, the slightly sweet muffin a perfect foil for a bowl of spicy, smoky chili.
I’ve made a lot of chili on this site. There’s the original (and still to this day, my favorite), a hearty beef chili that uses an ingenious secret ingredient to add depth and flavor. There’s a slow cooker version, a turkey version and two vegetarian ones: one with butternut squash and one with beer (all are fire bombs of flavor and spice).
But it’s kind of tragedy that I have yet to post a single corn muffin recipe. Thankfully, that error has now been rectified, thanks to these stupid-easy jalapeño cheddar corn muffins from The Kitchn. Seriously, these guys require one bowl and less than 10 minutes tops to come together, and bake up in less than 30. And for all of your “hard work,” you’re rewarded with plush muffins that are a little bit sweet, a little bit spicy, a little bit cheesy and 100% delicious.
They were a dream alongside the three-bean turkey chili I made — a standout of a recipe that I can’t wait to share with you guys — and would be just as good alongside scrambled eggs and bacon. I’m doing both, to make up for lost time.
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Yield:
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PinIngredients
- 1 large jalapeño
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 4 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Lightly butter a 12-cup muffin tin.
- Cut the jalapeño in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds, then mince.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in the milk, egg and melted butter. Fold in the cheese and the minced jalapeño.
- Divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups (about 1-1/2 tablespoons per cup). Bake the muffins until golden brown, 20-24 minutes. A tester should come out clean from one of the center muffins.
- Let the muffins cool briefly before removing from the tin and serving.
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