I’m on the fence about cornbread. When it’s good, it’s soft, fluffy, and slightly sweet, and I totally love it; when it’s not, it’s grainy and dense and I really have no desire to eat it. That being said, I really like cornbread with chili, and I’ve always made a jalapeno-cheddar version to go along with it. However, I’ve never been really thrilled with the cornbread recipes I’ve used – they’ve all produced a dense and crumbly cornbread that, while tasty, wasn’t quite right texturally.
So, of course, I had to come up with my own, and I think it worked out great – the cornbread come out soft, fluffy, just slightly sweet, a little tangy, kinda cheesy (in a good way!), and slightly spicy – cornbread perfection!
Jalapeno Cheddar Buttermilk Cornbread
(makes one 8”x8” square)
(makes one 8”x8” square)
¾ cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
¾ cup buttermilk
½ cup whole milk
4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, melted and cooled
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
Preheat the oven to 400° F. Butter an 8 inch square pan and set it aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, milk, and butter.
Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just barely combined. Add the cheese and jalapeno and stir to distribute evenly. Let the batter sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes and up to 30 minutes. (This allows the cornmeal to absorb the liquid and it will result in a super-soft cornbread instead of one that is gritty.)
Pour the batter into the greased pan and spread it out evenly. Bake until the top is lightly golden brown and the edges pull away from the pan, about 16 minutes. Let the cornbread cool completely before cutting it into squares.
