Why are my cornbread muffins dry?

Cornbread muffins usually turn out dry if the batter is overmixed or the muffins are baked too long. I always stir the batter just until the dry ingredients are incorporated and pull the muffins from the oven as soon as a toothpick comes out clean. Measuring the flour and cornmeal by weight also makes a big difference, since too much of either can dry out the crumb.

Are cornbread muffins healthy?

I like to think of cornbread muffins as a balanced side rather than a health food. They provide carbohydrates for energy, a little calcium from the dairy, and can fit into a well-rounded meal, especially when paired with protein and vegetables. This recipe is lightly sweetened and can be adapted to fit into dairy-free or gluten-free diets, if needed.

Are cornbread and corn muffins the same thing?

The only difference between cornbread muffins and corn muffins is how they’re prepared. Muffins bake in a muffin pan for individual servings, while cornbread bakes in a cast-iron skillet or baking pan and then gets cut into squares or wedges. This homemade cornbread muffin recipe can be easily baked in a baking dish or skillet (I recommend using a 9-inch pie plate, an 8×8-inch baking pan, or a 10-inch cast-iron skillet). The baking time for cornbread will be a little less than twice that of the muffins. I recommend doing the first toothpick test at about 20-22 minutes.

Easy Cornbread Muffins

Servings: 12 muffins 1x

Scale

Ingredients

1 ¼ cup (150 g) all-purpose flour
¾ cup yellow cornmeal (115 g)
¼ cup granulated sugar (65 g)
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon fine salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup milk of choice
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons unsalted butter*, melted

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400℉.
Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray or softened butter; set aside.
In a medium bowl, add the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Stir to combine.
In a small bowl or 2-cup measuring cup, combine the milk, eggs, and honey. Whisk well to combine.
Melt the butter in a small microwave safe bowl at 10 second intervals or in a saucepan over low heat until melted.
Add the milk mixture and the melted butter to the bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir until all of the ingredients are combined, but do not over mix.
Divide the batter among the 12 muffin pan wells, filling each about ⅔ full.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes clean and the edges are lightly browned, 13-16 minutes.
Remove muffin pan from the oven and allow muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool further.
Enjoy warm or at room temperature.
Store leftover muffins in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.

Notes

For miniature cornbread muffins, bake for 9 minutes using a 24-cup mini muffin pan.

*If using salted butter, reduce the salt to ¼ teaspoon.

For gluten-free cornbread muffins, use certified gluten-free cornmeal, and sub the all-purpose flour with an equal amount of 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.

For dairy-free muffins, use unsweetened dairy-free milk and plant-based butter.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size: 1 muffin
Calories: 165
Fat: 6 g
(Sat Fat: 3 g)
Sodium: 243 mg
Carbohydrate: 26 g
(Fiber: 2 g
Sugar: 8 g)
Protein: 4 g
Cholesterol: 35 mg

Dietary

Dairy-Free Gluten-free Nut-free Vegetarian

Recipe By: Jessica Beacom