Cornbread Cheese Muffins

I made these muffins before to go with my chilli con carne but I had about half a bag of cornmeal left so I wanted to do this again. This muffins also happens to be my son’s fav. I just added one extra ingredient, which is the cheese, to the original recipe.

The cornmeal I had wasn’t labeled as cornmeal, it was maize meal, but maize is corn so I don’t know if there is a VAST difference to an actual cornmeal. This maize meal, which I got from the organic section, has a semi-rough texture in the muffin. It’s not gritty but you do taste some huskness. It is not bothersome nor does it make the muffins inedible. This maize meal is decently priced too. I also used it to make corncakes but unfortunately my son seems to have outgrown it for now.

My son prefers to eat this straight-up but I think it would go so well with a little butter on top, especially if they’re still warm and toasty. Great for tea and midnight snacks. If you prefer them warm, just pop it into the micro under medium heat for 30 seconds.

What I like about this lady in Once Upon a Chef when it comes to baking is that, her recipes never seem overly complicated or too long to comprehend. Her site is under construction at the moment, but I always look forward to her new postings. These cornbread muffins are something I would make again and again.

I also used muffin cups instead of just the pan because my muffin pan is kinda old and somehow it’s not as non-stick as it should be, even after spraying with baking spray. I would be totally honest about something though. I don’t really taste the cheese in the muffins. I don’t know if it was because of the honey overpowering the cheese or the Parmesan just didn’t come through. So, if I’m making this again for the next round, I would try some medium cheddar.

CORNBREAD CHEESE MUFFINS RECIPE
(taken and changed slightly from Once Upon a Chef)

Ingredients

¾ cup yellow cornmeal
1¼ cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled off
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons honey
¾ cup whole milk
½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled
2 handfuls grated Parmesan cheese or Cheddar cheese

Steps;

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Line muffin pan with cups or use muffin tray sprayed with non-stick.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, beat eggs with a whisk. Whisk in honey and then milk. Add milk mixture and melted butter to the dry ingredients. Stir until just blended. Do not overmix; it’s okay if there are a few lumps.
4. Add about two handfuls of cheese to the mixture and just swirl it around, again do not overmix.
5. Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling 3/4 of the way. Bake for 17-20 minutes, until tops are puffed, set and golden.
6. Cool muffins for a few minutes in pan, then serve warm. You can keep and microwave it for later too.

Enjoy!