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This JalapeƱo Cheddar Cornbread has crispy edges, a super moist crumb, is very cheesy and spicy (thanks to the cheese, cornmeal and jalapeƱo), and a teeny bit sweet. It’s delicious and moist for days after! If you love Jiffy cornbread, this will remind you a bit of that! Make this in a skillet OR make them as muffins. Explore these cozy recipes: start your evening with a hearty beef stew, move on to a tasty vegan chili, and finish with a delicious pumpkin chili.
Before we dive in, letās discuss what I love and want from cornbread.
History of Cornbread
Cornbread history has it that it first started with Native Americans grinding corn into cornmeal and mixing it with water and cooking it over a fire. It was simple back then. It evolved over time; people added buttermilk, leavening, pork fat, saltā¦all the good things. They often times cooked it on a gardening hoe, over an open flame, hence the name āhoe cake.ā
The method, technique and ingredients has varied so much throughout the years. Some argue that sugar should NEVER be added, while others love their cornbread to be super sweet.
As a person who was born in the South but doesnāt consider herself a Southerner (with parents from South America), cornbread wasnāt exactly something I grew up eating.
I personally like it a bit sweet (this is controversial lol) and if you do, I believe it isnāt considered TRUE southern cornbread. I say ok with that!
Things that Make Cornbread Delicious!
I took to Twitter and asked the people what they loved in a cornbread. Here were some answers:
- āCrispy edges!ā
- āSweetened with honeyā
- āVery moist!ā
- āButtermilk gives it tang!ā
I happened to agree with all of these notes. I love a cornbread that has a bit of tang, I like it on the sweeter side, I like there to be a balance in the texture. Not too gritty, not too fluffy. I like there to be a moistness to it.
To achieve all of this this is what I went with.
Ingredients You Need for JalapeƱo Cheddar Cornbread
- Cornmeal – You want to use a medium grain cornmeal. I found that a 1 to 1 ratio of cornmeal with flour was ideal for that perfect crunchiness cornmeal gives you and a moist delicious crumb that you can only get with all-purpose flour.
- Brown Sugar – Cornmeal can be a bit drying so you really want to add as much moisture as possible. Brown sugar gives a delicious caramel/molasses flavor to this cornbread and keeps it super moist.
- Butter AND Oil – I use this combination in most of my cakes. The butter gives a lot of flavor while the oil gives a lot of moisture. This balance of both makes for an amazing texture and crumb.
- Buttermilk – I like buttermilk in this application because it gives a lot of moistness and adds to a great texture.
- Eggs – Eggs give a lightness to all baked goods. They also bind the batter together.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda – baking powder gives a good lift to the cornbread, while the baking soda adds lift AND color.
- Shredded Cheddar – I used a medium sharp cheddar. I didnāt want it too piercing. I’m in favor of using cheese from a block vs. buying already shredded cheddar. I find that it melts much better.
- Diced JalapeƱo – I used fresh jalapeƱo and diced it up. But feel free to use canned pickled jalapeƱos if you like. Both are great.
Achieving that Crispy Cornbread Crust!
I always learned that in order to get a super crisp crust on cornbread, preheating the pan in the oven is necessary. So, I did just that, using a bit of oil. I didnāt love the flavor and found it a bit cumbersome to remove the very hot pan and add batter to it.
I came up with something better! Since we already have to melt butter for this recipe, I figured why not do it in the cast iron skillet weāre cooking the cornbread in. Swirl it around to coat the pan with butter. And then add the batter to it. Itāll be preheated and greased with butter.
Doing this resulted in a super crisp crust and flavorful oneā¦thanks to the butter. I was afraid that the butter was going to burn but it absolutely didnātāit was fantastic.
How to Make JalapeƱo Cheddar Cornbread
- Melt the butter in the pan and let it sit.
- Whisk together all of the dry ingredients.
- Mix together the buttermilk, neutral oil, eggs and then add the melted butter.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix well.
- Add the batter to the preheated cast iron skillet AND then transfer it to the oven to bake.
- After 25 to 30 minutes to bake. As a result, itāll be fluffy and delicious.
- Serve it with a scallion butter if you like!
If you make this on Instagram, let me know!
Tips and Tricks
- Other Cheese Options: If you wanted to use something besides cheddar, go with something like gouda, fontina, smoked cheddar or pepperjack.
- To Freeze Cornbread: You can make ahead and freeze cornbread. Allow to come to room temperature and then wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Transfer to the freezer and keep up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight and then warm up in a 200 degree oven.
- To Reheat Cornbread: I like to cut up the cornbread into slices or squares and then wrap it in foil and place in a preheated 300F oven for 10 to 15 minutes until warm.
Recipes to Serve with Cornbread
If you tried this JalapeƱo Cheddar Cornbread or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
JalapeƱo Cheddar Cornbread Recipe
Equipment
- 1 (10-inch) cast iron skillet
- 1 silicon spatula
Ingredients
Dry Mix:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar
- 2 jalapeƱos, seeded and diced
Wet Mix:
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 1/3 cup buttermilk, shaken
- 1/2 cup neutral oil, (such as grapeseed, avocado oil or vegetable oil)
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
Scallion Butter:
- 2 scallions, ends trimmed and thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon flakey sea salt
Instructions
To Make the Cornbread:
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Set your 10-inch cast iron on the stove.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the shredded cheddar and diced jalapeƱos and toss the dry ingredients together.
- Place the skillet over medium-high heat and add the butter. When melted, swirl it around so that it coats the entire bottom of the pan, as well as the sides. Turn the heat off.
- In a medium bowl or a large measuring cup, measure out the buttermilk, whisk in the eggs, and neutral oil. Lastly, pour in the melted butter (some butter remaining in the pan is great! donāt scrape it clean with a spatula). Whisk until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix no flecks of flour remain, being sure not to overmix the cornbread. Pour the batter into the buttered cast iron skillet and immediately transfer to the oven to bake until golden brown on top and until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes
To Make the Scallion Butter:
- In a small skillet set over medium heat. Add the scallions and cook until bright green and softened, about 1 minute. Add a pinch of salt and mix.
- In a small bowl, add the softened butter and scallions. Mix together until combined. Add to a small bowl and sprinkle the top with flaky sea salt.
- Serve with warm cornbread.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Looking for recipes to pair with this JalapeƱo Cheddar Cornbread? Here are a few of my favorites:
Excellent recipe Adrianna, thanks for sharing. My first scratch cornbread and it turned out perfect! I made this yesterday, had to use whole milk and salted butter (reduced the added salt to a pinch) and it is so good. Moist and flavorful with a crispy crust and just the right amount of sweetness from the brown sugar. This will be my go to cornbread recipe.
I did this earlier today and although it looked really pretty, I could not get it to set….
I followed the recipe exactly to the T but it came out really crispy on the edges and top but the center was too moist…kinda like a soggy bread. I cooked it for 30 mins to start…then another 5, then another 5, then another 5 and another 5 after that for a total of 45 mins and the center was still soggy.
What did I do wrong?
oh no i’m sorry it gave you trouble! one thing that i can think of is that perhaps your oven is off? have you confirmed your oven with a meat thermometer. you can place a meat thermometer in there to make sure that it’s the right temperature. let me know how it goes!
Same thing happened to me. I think I used a smaller cast iron skillet then I should have. Otherwise, I’m not sure what it is. I have a gas stove and it is alway on the mark.
I just made this and am anxious to see how it will taste with
a pot of homemade soup I made today!
Oh amazing! Hope you loved it.
Can I use something other than a cast iron skillet?
an 9-inch cake pan should work! it just won’t be as crispy on the bottom but will still be good!
I love this recipe cornbread is very good I encata this blog is excellent thanks for an excellent fabulous recipe conparit this blog
I have made this 3 times now and my family LOVES it. The first time, I double the recipe and did have to cook it about 15 minutes longer, as I cooked it in one skillet. It turned out great. Thank you.
Hi Adriana,
I made this last week and it was great!
Yum. I made this cornbread for dinner yesterday and it was great. I did add a dash more buttermilk and some cool melted butter to the batter. I let a friend borrow my cast iron skillet so I placed the batter in a regular dish. Once it finished cooking I cut a piece and placed it on top of some collard greens made with smoked turkey. The cornbread was so good I’m skipping my bowl of Cheerios this morning and having a slice for breakfast.
Cornbread is so much better than Cherrios. So glad it turned out!
This sounds delicious…..Can you freeze corn bread?
So sad for those who have never had cornbread…it is the best!!! Especially with brown beans! YUM!!!
Darlene you must have grown up in the south to be a fan of cornbread n beans. I agree that real Southern cornbread is not sweet, but you maintain some of that authenticity via your cast iron skillet and use using buttermilk. It’s OK to leave out most of the sugar. Try it both ways. Perty doggone good recipe and intro! You know the crust will be crispy brown when you hear a little sizzle as you pour in batter. If your skillet is smoking, rest it a few minutes bc it is a little too hot. Using it to melt the butter is a grand idea.
I finally got around to making this and it’s SO good! My cast iron skillet is on the small side, so I did half the batter in there and divided the rest up between some mini-muffin tins. Thanks so much for this recipe!