The Best Corn Muffins

the best corn muffins with jam

I know it’s a bit bold to say that these are the best corn muffins, but in my humble opinion they are. I’ve sampled many corn muffins over the years, and these bad boys are basically what a corn muffin should taste like. They’re moist, a bit sweet and savory and have a nice texture and crunch from the cornmeal. They also brown up perfectly. I mean take a look at the above muffin, it’s nicely browned on the top and the bottom, perfection!

Another reason I declare these the best corn muffins is that they’re SO easy to whip up, I mean they are virtually foolproof. They take 10 minutes to prep and 15 minutes to cook, (25 minutes total) so they’re really just as easy to whip up as the boxed  version, and taste SO much better.  I also love that these muffins are made with basic pantry ingredients, so it’s likely that you will have everything you need on hand to whip these up (besides maybe the cornmeal).

So, if you’re looking for the perfect corn muffin to accompany your favorite soup or chili, or to serve up for breakfast paired with some butter and jam, give these muffins a try. I whipped up a batch of these for kids last week as an afternoon snack, and they were VERY happy campers. I think next I’m going to live on the edge try making a batch of these in my cast-iron skillet!  Oh yeah, just put that skillet on the table and dig in!

the best corn muffins with jam

the best corn muffins:

recipe slightly adapted from Patrick and Gina Neely of Down Home with the Neelys
makes 12 standard corn muffins

  • 1 cup medium grind yellow cornmeal – I used Bob’s Red Mill Medium grind, because it gives the muffins a great texture and crunch – NOTE: to keep cornmeal fresh, keep it in the fridge or freezer after opening.
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2 room temperature extra-large eggs – the original recipe called for large eggs, but I always prefer to use extra-large eggs. The original recipe also did not call for room temp eggs, but I find room temp eggs work best when baking.
  • 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 12-cup muffin/cupcake tin
  • 12 cupcake liners

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line a standard muffin/cupcake tin with cupcake liners.

ingredients for the best corn muffins

 In a large bowl whisk together the following ingredients together until combined:

  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking power
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

dry ingredients in a mixing bowls

Get out a small sauce pan and melt the 1/2 cup unsalted butter over low heat.  Alternatively, you can melt the butter in a microwave safe dish.  I prefer to use a pan so I don’t overcook the butter.

melted butter in a pan on the stove

 In a smaller  bowl whisk together the following ingredients together until well combined:

  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2 extra-large eggs
  • 1/2 stick melted butter
  • 1/4 cup honey

Make sure to whisk everything well, so that all of the honey gets mixed in. 

Eggs butter milk and honey top view

Whisks wet and dry ingredients in mixing bowls

Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and mix with a spatula or spoon until just combined.
Do not overmix!

Combined corn muffin batter

Using a ice-cream scoop, cookie scoop or large spoon, evenly divide the corn muffin mixture into the paper liners.

Corn muffin batter in a scoop

Muffin batter in a muffin tin

Pop the muffins into the pre-heated 400-degree oven and bake for 15 minutes until golden, or a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

You can either use a toothpick to test the doneness of the muffins or do the finger test.
To do the finger test, press your finger down gently in the middle of the muffin, if it’s done, it should puff back up automatically on it own. If it stays dented, then the muffins are not ready to come out yet.

I’ve baked these 3 times already and these muffins always take exactly 15 minutes to bake to perfection.

Baked corn muffin in a pan

Let the muffins cool in the pan for a few minutes.

Remove the muffins from the pan, making sure to gently detach the tops from the pan if they’re sticking a bit.

Set them on a cooling rack to cool for just a bit, as these muffins are best served warm!

Corn muffins cooling on a rack

My kids love these served warm paired with butter and/or their favorite jam.

the best corn muffins with jam

Eli is giving me the thumbs up on these muffins!

Thumbs up to the corn muffins

NOTE:  Corn muffins are best served when fresh from the oven, so if you have to make them ahead of time, just re-heat them.  Wrap them in foil and put them in a 350-degree oven until warmed.  Don’t overheat them as they will get tough.

With love Jackie

The Best Corn Muffins

0.0 from 0 votes
Recipe by Jackie
Servings

12

muffins
Prep time

10

minutes
Cook time

20

minutes
Total time

30

minutes

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup medium grind yellow cornmeal - I used Bob's Red Mill Medium grind, because it gives the muffins a great texture and crunch NOTE: to keep cornmeal fresh, keep it in the fridge or freezer after opening.

    • 1 cup all-purpose flour

    • 1 tablespoon baking powder

    • ½ cup granulated sugar

    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

    • 1 cup whole milk

    • 2 room temperature extra-large eggs - the original recipe called for large eggs, but I always prefer to use extra-large eggs. The original recipe also did not call for room temp eggs, but I find room temp eggs work best when baking.

    • ½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted

    • ¼ cup honey

    • 1 12-cup muffin/cupcake tin

    • 12 cupcake liners

    Directions

    • Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.

    • Line a standard muffin/cupcake tin with cupcake liners.

    • In a large bowl whisk together the following ingredients together until combined:
    • cup cornmeal

    • cup flour

    • tablespoon baking power

    • 1/2 cup granulated sugar

    • teaspoon kosher salt

    • Get out a small sauce pan and melt the ½ cup unsalted butter over low heat. Alternatively, you can melt the butter in a microwave safe dish. I prefer to use a pan so I don't overcook the butter.

    • Whisk together the following ingredients together until well combined:
    • cup whole milk

    • extra-large eggs

    • 1/2 stick melted butter

    • 1/4 cup honey

    • Make sure to whisk everything well, so that all of the honey gets mixed in.

    • Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and mix with a spatula or spoon until just combined.

    • Do not overmix!

    • Using a ice-cream scoop, cookie scoop or large spoon, evenly divide the corn muffin mixture into the paper liners.

    • Pop the muffins into the pre-heated 400-degree oven and bake for 15 minutes until golden, or a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

    • You can either use a toothpick to test the doneness of the muffins or do the finger test.

    • To do the finger test, press your finger down gently in the middle of the muffin, if it’s done, it should puff back up automatically on it own. If it stays dented, then the muffins are not ready to come out yet.

    • I've baked these 3 times already and these muffins always take exactly 15 minutes to bake to perfection.

    • Let the muffins cool in the pan for a few minutes.

    • Remove the muffins from the pan, making sure to gently detach the tops from the pan if they’re sticking a bit.

    • Set them on a cooling rack to cool for just a bit, as these muffins are best served warm!

    • My kids love these served warm paired with butter and/or their favorite jam.

    • Corn muffins are best served when fresh from the oven, so if you have to make them ahead of time, just re-heat them. Wrap them in foil and put them in a 350-degree oven until warmed. Don't overheat them as they will get tough.

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      11 thoughts on “The Best Corn Muffins”

      1. Gloria Monacelli

        Can’t wait to make these..I just received a gift of homemade pepper jelly…I think they will go perfectly together!! Thanks as always!!!

        (a side note…I’m reading that Marin County has several cases of the Measles..hope you and yours stay healthy! )

        1. Hi Gloria! Awesome! Yum, pepper jelly and corn muffins! That sounds like a great combination. I hope you LOVE these muffins as much as I do!

          Thanks for the healthy wishes! So far so good over at casa Grandy! Sending you some healthy vibes as well! It’s actually been 70-degrees the past few days, so we’ve been playing a lot outside, and I believe that fresh air is always the best medicine! xoxo, Jacquelyn

        1. Awesome Emily! We must be craving the same things! I’m glad you made them and loved them as well 🙂 xoxo, Jacquelyn

        1. Hi Karen! I’ve actually use whole-wheat flour in my whole-grain skillet corn bread, http://www.marinmamacooks.com/2012/01/whole-grain-skillet-corn-bread/ and Eli loved that bread, so give why not give it a try. I know that the whole-grain skillet corn bread is a bit drier than these muffins, but it also doesn’t use butter or honey in the batter, so that could be why. I was actually thinking of trying almond flour sometime, but haven’t gotten around to it yet. If you give the whole-wheat flour a try, please comment back and let me know how it turned out! Best of luck Karen! xoxo, Jacquelyn

            1. Hi Becky, No I honestly heavenly tried these with any gluten-free type of flours. The ratio’s are always different when using a gluten-free flour. If you do, let me know how they turn out.

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