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The very best Browned Butter Jalapeño Cornbread Muffins. Because your Tuesday is truly in NEED of a savory, sweet cornbread muffin. These muffins are extra special, made with cornmeal, buttermilk, fresh jalapeños (if you’d like them), sweet honey, and nutty browned butter. They’re moist, with just the right amount of crumb, so flavorful, and beyond delicious. Bonus? They’re super easy to make! Try eating them warm, right out of the oven with a smear of butter and a drizzle of honey. Promise, they won’t disappoint!
Here’s the deal, I realize that look-wise these muffins are nothing exquisite, but when it comes to taste and texture? These muffins are spot on, and without a doubt one of my staple HBH recipes. What’s a staple HBH recipe? Well, considering I just made that up, I’m not entirely sure. But I’m thinking that a staple HBH recipe would be a recipe that I remake time and time again. Meaning, it will not just sit here on HBH for me to never look at again.
I truly LOVE each and every recipe I share with you all. But seeing as I am constantly testing new recipes, day in and day out, it can be hard to have the time to go back and make the recipes I’ve already tested and shared. Does that make sense?
That said, there are some recipes, recipes like these muffins, that I end up making over and over for family dinners, gatherings, and parties. Recipes like my homemade naan, the beer bread from my cookbook, and my favorite lemon tart. I’d consider these “staple HBH recipes”, and now these muffins will be included on that list.
These muffins can be made from now up until Thanksgiving (because every Thanksgiving table needs a good cornbread). They’re the perfect cornbread muffins, with actual corn flavor, the right amount of “crumb”, and perfectly hinted with sweetness. SO DELICIOUS.
And maybe the most exciting part? These muffins are the easiest to make. If you keep a well-stocked pantry, you should have everything on hand to make these muffins right now.
Now for the game-changer that sets these muffins apart from the rest…deep, dark, and golden brown butter. You’ve probably noticed, but I love browning butter. It adds the most subtly nutty, yet sweet buttery flavor. Anytime I can incorporate browned butter into a recipe, I pretty much always do. It adds another layer of flavor that just makes recipes better.
For these muffins, it pairs perfectly with the sweet corn and honey, making every bite mouth-watering.
{muffins before baking}
{muffins after baking}
The rest of the muffin is pretty straight forward. My goal was to create a cornbread that was moist, with good flavor, and with just the right amount of crumb. Often times cornbread can be overly dry and overly crumbly, but not these muffins. They have the perfect balance.
To keep the muffins moist, I like to use both buttermilk and yogurt. The combination of the two adds a touch of tang and so much moisture.
For serious corn flavor, I use only finely ground cornmeal. I decided to leave the whole kernels of corn out. I tested the recipe both with and without the corn kernels. In the end, everyone who tasted these agreed that the muffins were better minus the corn kernels. We liked that every bite was soft and fluffy, and found the flavor and texture to be much better.
To sweeten the muffins I used honey, which in my opinion is a must. Some recipes call for sugar, some brown sugar, and others maple syrup. But for me, honey is the only way to go. It creates a perfectly sweet muffin that’s only hinted with honey. It’s not overpowering but instead is just right.
The final component to these muffins? Jalapeños.
First, I want to say that if you don’t like spicy, that’s no problem, the jalapeños can easily be left out. But if you love sweet and spicy, then you must include the jalapeños. They’re the perfect sweet, spicy, and savory combination. My favorite combo.
This recipe is so simple…brown some butter, add some wet ingredients, add some dry, bake into muffins and done. If you wanted, you can also bake the batter in a 10 or 12 inch cast iron skillet and make skillet cornbread. Either way is going to be very good.
They’ll take you less than 15 minutes to prep and less than 15 minutes to bake. So you’re only about 30 minutes away from a warm, buttery cornbread muffin. Meaning, tonight you need to bake cornbread muffins to go along with dinner…or maybe just as an afternoon snack. These are great any time of day, preferably with a smear of butter, and a drizzle of honey too.
And of course, these will be great for upcoming Father’s Day this Sunday. And then 4th of July just a couple short weeks later. These pair great with almost any dish, especially a skillet chicken, baked beans, or even crumble them atop your favorite salad. Endless opportunities for these cornbread muffins.
Make them and enjoy!
If you make these browned butter jalapeño cornbread muffins, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Hi again – sorry, one other question, shouldn’t the brown butter be cooled before adding the yogurt, honey, eggs, etc? The recipe doesn’t specify so I just wanted to double check. Thanks!
Hey Mel,
Yes, you can allow it to cool slightly. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This looks delicious! Instead of using jalapeños, can I use a small can of drained, diced green chiles? I think that would give it a nice, mild flavor. Thanks for all your great recipes!
Hey Mel,
The canned green chiles would be a great idea! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Made this for a get together, everyone love them! Great with the extra butter and honey on the side! Next time will look for more spicy jalapenos.
I am really glad this turned out so well for you, Kimberly! Thank you so much for trying this! xTieghan
I cannot stress enough how much I recommend baking this cornbread in a cast iron skillet with the brown butter drippings left on the bottom of the pan! It was insanely delicious!!! I think it took around 20 mins of bake time. It also worked very well with Bob’s Red Mill GF flour. My new favorite cornbread!
Thank you so much Laura! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Loved making these, so simple and yummy. I tend to like it very salty, so I think next time I’ll try these with 1 and a half teaspoons of salt and see if I like it better that way. Adding honey and butter is definitely a must 🙂
Thank you so much Hannah! I am really glad these turned out so well for you! xTieghan
I made this recipe and the muffins turned out to be DELICIOUS! I made some with jalapeño and some without, the jalapeño didn’t make the muffins very spicy so I think they’re a great addition. The recipe was also super easy to make. I will definitely make this recipe again!
Love that! Thank you so much Alana! xTieghan
This recipe looks amazing! Although I love buttermilk baked into anything, my partner can’t eat dairy. Could I make these with dairy alternatives? I was thinking full fat coconut milk and coconut yogurt potentially. Thank you!
Hey Ariel,
I would recommend using coconut milk. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hmm looking through the comments no one else seemed to find them a bit dry? I’ve made these twice, the second time I used half butter and half oil, and I took care not to over-mix, but still on the drier side. Maybe I’m doing something wrong? They’re tasty though.
Hey Adrienne,
So sorry your muffins are dry, just so you know cornbread does have a different texture than a regular muffin. Also, you could be over-baking them. Try baking them for less time. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Do you know if they freezer okay? I want to take some with my chili on my camping trip, I’m just not sure the best way to go about it.
Thank you! 🙂
Hey Kelsey,
Sure that would work! I would recommend pre slicing them and then you can heat them when you are ready to eat! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I made this for dinner tonight with vegetarian chili. Was absolutely delicious! Thank you!
Yes!! I am so happy to hear that Nicole! Thank you!! xTieghan
This made a delicious, moist, flavorful cornbread. Instead of making muffins, I baked this in a 10×10 dish for 27 minutes and that was perfect.
Love that! Thank you so much for trying this one! xTieghan
These were SOOO good. My boyfriend is a picky eater, and said these are the best cornbread he’s ever had. Can’t wait to make them again!
Thank you so much Emily! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Hey! All I’ve got is corn flour (masa carina) or self rising corn meal. Do you have any advice on using either of these two?
Hey! Love your site so much! Just a quick question regarding baking time if you use a cast iron skillet. And one response you said 20 to 25 minutes, and then a little further down you suggested 40 to 45 minutes. Have you tried this and do you have more of a specific time recommendation if I’m using a cast-iron skillet? Thanks!
HI! I don’t have a specific time as I have not tested baking this in cast iron. I would suggest start with 20 minutes, then checking periodically until done. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Hey, awesome recipe!! Do you know how I can adapt this to a cookie version? I’ve tried some versions, but they all turned out too moist!
HI there! I am sorry, I am unsure what you are asking. Can you clarify?