The Best Corn Muffins

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:

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.

 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

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.

 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. 

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.

Eli is giving me the thumbs up on these 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.