No cornmeal cornbread muffins! Moist, soft, and fluffy muffins that are just as good as the traditional cornbread recipes. It’s buttery with a nice corn flavor and slightly savory with the addition of shredded cheese.
No Cornmeal Cornbread Muffins
Craving for cornbread muffins but can’t find cornmeal? Fret not. In this recipe, I will show you how to make a yummy corn muffin without it.
Ingredients
Essential baking ingredients such as flour, baking powder, baking soda, eggs, salt, and sugar are of course needed to make this muffin. But what makes this stand out from all the other recipes are these ingredients:
- Brown butter– has been my recent favorite cake/muffin ingredient. If you’ve been following me for quite a while, you probably have noticed this as a staple in my recipes. Follow this link to find out how to make it. It’s super EASY and really worth the extra time.
- Buttermilk– gives the muffin a tender and softer texture.
- Sweet Corn Cream Style– gives the bread a deeper corn flavor and the milky texture also adds moisture to the muffin.
- Grated Cheese – a highly requested addition by the husband. This gives a savory balance to the sweetness of the muffin.
Moist and fluffy Cornbread Muffins
An essential step to make the muffin moist and fluffy is to cream the brown butter, sugar, and eggs until fluffy and almost pale. You can do this by hand using a whisk or use an electric mixer.
Don’t overmix the batter. You probably heard this countless times but overmixing results in extra gluten development giving the cake a gummy and chewy texture.
How to avoid overmixing the muffin batter:
- Combine all the liquid ingredients together (including the sugar) and whisk them as much as you want.
- Add the flour to the wet ingredients in 2 to 3 increments.
- Mix by hand using a spatula or whisk instead of an electric mixer.
Ingredient substitutes/alternatives
We are still on lockdown and supplies of goods are still low especially baking ingredients. Here are good substitutes you can use for some of the main ingredients in this recipe.
How to make homemade buttermilk?
Can’t find buttermilk in your local store? Make one at home! For homemade buttermilk: combine 1/3 cup full-fat fresh milk and 1 tsp vinegar or lemon. Let it sit for 10 minutes until it curdles.
Can I substitute sweet corn cream style with canned corn kernel?
No, but you can use the corn kernels as a topping. Using sweet-style cream corn is important in this recipe as it gives the bread a deeper corn flavor and the milky texture adds moisture to the muffin.
Can I use cake flour?
All-purpose flour can also be substituted with cake flour. For 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, use 1 and 3/4 cups cake flour.
Types of cheese you can use:
- sharp or mild cheddar cheese (processed or natural)
- Edam cheese
- Monterey jack
- Colby
- Swiss cheese
- toast melt or quick melt
Serve and storage
These muffins are best when they are still warm. Spread with butter and drizzle with honey or maple syrup. Yum!
You can store leftover muffins in the fridge for 1 week in an airtight container.
Love baking? Try these recipes too!
- Moist and Soft Banana Bread
- Red Velvet Cupcakes (with beetroot powder)
- Easy Chocolate Cake – moist and not too sweet!
- Banana Chocolate Marble Bread
- Ensaymada Cupcakes
- Filipino Cheese Cupcakes with Cheese Crumble
No Cornmeal Cornbread Muffins (with cheese!)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 cup sweet corn cream style
- 1 cup grated cheese (I used cheddar)
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400f/ 200c. Grease muffin pan with oil or butter.
- Place butter in a lightly-colored pan over medium heat. Once melted, lower the heat. Swirl and stir as it cooks to release the bubbles. Watch it carefully until color turns to a toasty brown. Immediately transfer to a large heat-proof bowl. LET IT COOL.
- In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Add sugar to the brown butter. Stir to combine. Add the eggs. Cream until mixture is fluffy and pale. Whisk by hand or an electric mixer.
- Stir in the buttermilk, cream of corn, and cheese. Add the dry ingredients into two increments. Mix with a spatula or wooden spoon until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake for 18 to 20 mins until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean and the top is golden. Mine took exactly 20 minutes to get done. Cool the muffins for a few minutes in the pan, then serve warm.
Recipe Notes & Tips:
- To make the muffin moist and fluffy, cream the brown butter, sugar, and eggs until fluffy and almost pale. Don’t overmix the batter.
- Homemade buttermilk: combine 1/2 cup full-fat fresh milk and 1 1/2 tsp vinegar or lemon. Let it sit for 10 minutes until it curdles.
- Sugar can be reduced up to 1/3 cup if preferred.
- All-purpose flour can also be substituted with cake flour. For 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, use 1 and 3/4 cups cake flour.
- Storage/Shelf-life: Place in an air-tight container to prevent the muffin from drying out. It is good for 1 week in the fridge if properly stored.
- To reheat, microwave for 20 seconds.
OH MY GOD these cornbread muffins are so good! Just made them today – followed the recipe exactly and I think they came out perfect. I made them to go with a turkey chili for a work potluck – these muffins will be a huge hit (if they even make it out of the house).
Hi! Can i still use this recipe if i have yellow corn flour?
Hi Mara, sorry this recipe has not been tested yet with yellow corn flour. I will update this post as soon as I’ve done so.
– Mella
I made corn pom pie and I made a separate pan for my cousins mom and used this recipe for her corn bread topping and it came out better than expected. I will be saving this recipe and will use it from now on.
That’s great, Johnna! Thanks for the wonderful feedback 🙂
– Mella
I made this today and had no buttermilk. I used sour cream–DELICIOUS! I also probably added more cheese than listed, and I cut the sugar down to half a cup. We adored them. Thanks for the recipe. I was trying to give a 5 star rating, but the site is being glitchy and won’t let me. So, here you go:
*****
Sounds like you nailed it Lynda! Sour cream is indeed a good substitute for buttermilk. Thanks for the 5-star rating 🙂
– Mella
I made these today and tweaked the recipe a little bit as I cannot eat gluten. I used gluten free measure for measure flour. Instead of sugar, I added 1/3 cup of honey to the butter and whisked thoroughly. Sadly I didn’t have buttermilk, so I used whole milk. (too lazy to do the “make my own” buttermilk. I added 1/2 small can of green chiles to the creamed corn. They taste good!