Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread

Traditional cornbread but with a sweet AND spicy twist! Jalapeños and cheddar are the perfect duo and when you add it to cornbread, you get the most delicious creation ever that is just so delicious on the Thanksgiving dinner table or even with some chili. I promise this will be the softest and most moist cornbread you’ll ever make!

Secrets to Making the Perfect Cornbread

There are a few things that make this cornbread unlike no other! It’s far from ordinary and all these little tweaks I made to traditional cornbread add so much flavor but doesn’t take any more time and effort to whip up. Best of both worlds!

First up, instead of using regular unsalted butter, we’re going to brown it first! Brown butter adds a beautiful nutty flavor that takes the cornbread from a 10/10 to a 20/10. You can literally see the specks of brown butter in the final product.

Second, we’re not only using white sugar but also brown sugar. It helps make the color of the cornbread more rich and keeps it so much more moist than just using only white sugar!

Third, adding a small splash of heavy cream! Simply because we don’t want dry cornbread and a little heavy cream goes a long way to adding some richness.

Fourth, we’re adding cheddar cheese and diced jalapeños for a sweet, salty, and spicy flavor profile that is just too good.

How to Make the Cornbread

Here are the ingredients you will need:

• cornmeal
• all purpose flour
• baking powder
• baking soda
• salt
• white sugar
• brown sugar
• eggs
• buttermilk
• heavy cream
• unsalted butter
• sharp cheddar, shredded
• jalapeño, diced

Start out by whisking together all the dry ingredients. This includes the cornmeal, all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, brown sugar, and white sugar. Then set it aside.

Now we are going to brown the butter which is probably the most tedious part of this recipe. To a pan over medium heat, add the butter. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes until it starts to bubble and then brown. Make sure not to cook it any further or it can burn. Transfer it to a bowl and allow it to cool so it’s not hot. This process of browning butter is basically cooking the milk solids in the butter until they “brown” to bring out this beautiful nutty taste and aroma with so much depth.

Once the butter is browned, just allow it to cool down for a few minutes so it’s not piping hot. This is to prevent it from curdling the eggs when added to the batter.

Once the butter has cooled down, add it to the dry ingredients along with the buttermilk, heavy cream, and eggs. Whisk together until you have a smooth consistency.

Now add shredded cheddar cheese and diced jalapeños and incorporate using a rubber spatula. If you don’t want the jalapeños to be too spicy, remove the seeds which is what I did.

Transfer to a baking pan lined with parchment paper or just butter it generously and add the batter to prevent sticking. You can use an 8 x 8 pan for very thick slices or 9 x 9 for thinner slices. I used an 8 x 8 pan.

Bake for 25 to 28 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center. You don’t want to over cook it or else it will be dry.

Once out of the oven, allow it to cool down for 10 to 15 minutes. Then take it out of the pan and slice it into squares.

Quickly whip up a honey butter by combining just honey and melted unsalted butter in a small bowl. Brush a bit on top of the cornbread and allow it to soak in.

Then enjoy warm! I also like to add a bit of flakey sea salt on top for a little crunch. So good.

If you tried this recipe and loved it, drop by down below and let me know how you liked it with a rating and comment! Feel free to also leave a question there about this recipe and I’ll get right back to it.

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