This Cheddar Jalapeño Cornbread is sweet, savory, and spicy, with a touch of brown sugar and honey, pickled jalapeños, and loads of cheese.
Buttermilk Cheddar Jalapeño Cornbread Recipe Notes
Most buttermilk cornbread recipes that include jalapeños call for fresh jalapeños. In this recipe, I used pickled jalapeños for a couple of reasons. I wanted their texture to more closely match the buttery, cheesy, creaminess of the cornbread itself. Baking cornbread does have the effect of cooking raw jalapeños, but often a bit of their crunchiness remains.
I also really love the subtle vinegary taste the pickled jalapeños add to the flavor of this buttermilk cornbread. The buttermilk itself adds a touch of tang and the pickled jalapeños play off that, intensifying the contrast of the sweet and savory elements. Having said that, if you have some fresh jalapeños that you're hoping to use up these jalapeño muffins are similar to this cornbread but call for fresh jalapeños.
And then there's the cheese...
This recipe calls for a LOT of cheese.
For the sake of brevity, I've used "cheddar" in the title of this recipe, but you can use any kind of cheese you like. I've used Monterey Jack, pepper jack, and cheddar and they are all delicious. One warning if you use pepper jack... Depending on how spicy the cheese is, you could end up with very spicy cornbread, an effect that's either good or bad, depending on your perspective and love of heat.
A Fabulous Use of Leftover Cornbread
After developing this recipe, I found myself with more cornbread in our kitchen than we could eat. So, I created a recipe for Cornbread Salad with Sausage and Tomatoes just to use it up and it's become one of our favorite things to eat ever.
Other Recipes You Might Like:
- Homemade Potato Rolls
- The BEST Homemade Dinner Rolls
- Blueberry Corn Muffins
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
📖 Recipe
Buttermilk Cheddar Jalapeño Cornbread
This Cheddar Jalapeño Cornbread is sweet, savory and spicy, with a touch of brown sugar and honey, pickled jalapeños, and loads of cheese.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 1 cup ground cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 heaping cups grated cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, divided
- ½ cup diced pickled jalapeños
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 3 tablespoon honey
- 3 large eggs
- 1 stick (4oz, 8 tbsp) butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and spray a 9-inch square baking pan with non-stick spray.
- In a large bowl, add the flour, cornmeal, cornstarch, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine.
- Add 1 cup of the grated cheese and the diced jalapeños and stir to combine.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, honey, and eggs. Slowly whisk in the melted butter. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula just long enough to ensure all the dry ingredients are moistened. Pour into the prepared baking dish.
- Sprinkle the top of the batter with the remaining cup of grated cheese.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cornbread comes out without any evidence of raw batter. (*NOTE: Check the cornbread after about 20-25 minutes to see if the cheese on the top is getting too brown. If it is, loosely cover the top of the cornbread with a sheet of aluminum foil.)
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Ronnie says
Well, I've been making this cornbread now for 3 years; it is my family's favorite. Now, for whatever reason, it is browning way too much around the sides! This has happened the last two times I made it. What can be causing this? I'm using the same ingredients; same pan; same oven. It seems the 400 degree temperature all of a sudden is maybe too high(?).
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hmmm... My first thought is that your oven is running a bit hot. Most ovens aren't 100% accurate and can fluctuate over time. I suggest purchasing an oven thermometer (if you don't already have one) and just checking to see what temperature your oven is actually at when you set it to 400 degrees. If your oven is accurate, my next suggestion is to try a different brand of butter. Grade AA butter (which is the best for baking) should be 18% water, at least 80% butterfat, and 1% to 2% milk solids. Even if you've been using the same brand of butter for years, it's possible the formulation has changed and you're seeing the effects of it. I hope that helps! Will you keep me posted about whether these suggestions make a difference for you?
Missie Woody says
I had some leftover buttermilk from the baking challenge this month and found your cornbread! I didn't have any jalapeños, but I managed to have a poblano pepper so we roasted that and added it. It was delicious, but I might need to go 40 minutes as the cornbread was still really moist with the roasted poblano.
Rebecca Blackwell says
I LOVE the idea of using a roasted poblano pepper instead of the jalapeños! Poblanos are my all-time favorite pepper, so I'm totally going to have to try that next time. Thanks for taking the time to leave me a note and share this idea! xo
Cathy Brigham says
The Cheddar Jalapeño Cornbread was wonderful!
It came together quickly, with ingredients I always have In my kitchen, smelled delightful as it baked and tasted great! We loved the consistency and flavors....and the fact that it made enough I could share with my parents the next night.....they’ve already requested another batch!
😀
Rebecca Blackwell says
I'm so glad you liked it, and thank you so much for taking the time to let me know! The next time you make it, you'll have to turn the leftovers into Cornbread Salad. It's one of our new favorite meals. I think you (and your parents) would love it. 🙂 xo
Ronnie says
I made this once and it is delicious but.....as I go through the recipe again in preparation for making it I see that is says: 1 stick (8 oz.) melted butter. Just realized 1 stick of butter is 4 oz, not 8oz. Which is it???
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Ronnie! So sorry about that! I've just updated the recipe to correct that typo. It should read: 1 stick (4oz, 8tbsp) butter. Thank you so much for brining that error to my attention! Did you end up going with 1 stick?
Ronnie says
Actually no, I used 2! It was delicious but a little greasy 🙂
Thanks for the correction. It is my favorite corn bread recipe.
Rebecca Blackwell says
I am so happy to hear that Ronnie! Thank you so much! xo