My favorite thing about cornbread is its pantry-friendliness. I can make delicious cornbread with milk, eggs, and pantry essentials as long as I have cornmeal.
My daughter loves cornbread, especially muffins, which are easy to carry for a picnic or party. Sugar in cornbread is polarizing, but I like it sweet but not cake-like. This simple dish is lightly sweet (you can skip the sugar), well-browned, and tender and juicy inside.
– Paper muffin liners, or cooking spray or butter for coating the pan – 1 stick(8 tablespoons) unsalted butter – 1 1/2 cupall-purpose flour – 1 cupfinely ground yellow cornmeal – 1/4 cupgranulated sugar – 2 teaspoonbaking powder – 1 teaspoonkosher salt – 1 cupwhole or 2% milk – 2large egg
Heat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the middle. Instead of using paper liners, thoroughly butter or spray a 12-well muffin tin for optimum browning.
Whisk together 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup finely ground yellow cornmeal, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt in a large bowl.
Melt 1 stick unsalted butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl, 45 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer butter to a medium bowl after melting on the burner. Whisk together 1 cup whole or 2% milk and 2 big eggs (it may look curdled).
Add to the cornmeal mixture and toss with a rubber spatula until smooth. Divide 1/3 cup batter into prepared muffin wells, filling them 2/3 full.
Bake 15–17 minutes until sides are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Wait 5 minutes to cool the muffins on a wire rack. Remove from pan and serve warm or room temperature.