Savory Corn Muffins

Okay, don’t laugh, but about a decade or more ago, I received a cookbook entitled Cooking with Friends as a gift. Friends, as in Rachel, Monica, Chandler, etc. The book, however, was a pleasant surprise, containing many recipes that I’ve made repeatedly over the years. One of my favorites is a recipe for corn muffins. A little different in texture than traditional Southern corn bread, I like to serve these with soups, chili, jambalaya, and the like.

For the dry ingredients, stir together 1 cup of flour, 3/4 cup of cornmeal, 1 tablespoon of baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Beat together 10 tablespoons (1 & 1/4 sticks) of melted unsalted butter and 1 large egg. Stir in 1 & 1/4 cups of slightly warmed milk. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Be sure not to overmix.

Spoon the batter into a 12-cup muffin pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake until lightly browned, and the muffins pass the toothpick test (about 20 to 25 minutes). Cool for 5 minutes before serving. These are definitely best served warm.

If you want to spice things up, add 1 or 2 stemmed and minced jalapeno peppers. I don’t usually do that, but I do like to add some freshly ground pepper, Cajun seasoning, or some other spice to the batter.