Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread

One of our dad's favorite snacks ever is cornbread. Whenever one of us is in the kitchen he always asks, "you making cornbread?" - even if we are clearly making cookies or cupcakes. That's his subtle hint that he is craving some cornbread. 

He loves his with a bit of spice so we always throw in jalapenos and a good dose of cheese to add some texture. I'm not usually a fan of cornmeal in things because of the coarse texture but I make an exception with this recipe. Warm with butter... don't even get me started! I could eat half the pan in one sitting.

Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups cornmeal

1 cup flour

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 jalapenos, seeded & finely diced

1 cup aged cheddar, shredded

1 cup corn (drained if using canned)

1 1/4 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup honey

2 eggs

Extra

1/3 cup aged cheddar, shredded

Directions

 Preheat oven to 400. Lightly spray a 9 X 9 pan with cooking spray (Or line the bottom with parchment paper), and set aside. 

In a bowl, stir together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, jalapenos, cheese, and corn. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, butter, honey, and eggs. 

Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just mixed. Do not over mix. Spread evenly into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the 1/3 cup cheese on top.

Bake at 400 until top is golden and toothpick inserted near center comes out clean, about 30 - 40 minutes. 

Place on wire rack to let cool. 

Serve warm or room temp. 

I looooove to slather on some butter while it is still warm...

So. Good. 

Cornbread can be tricky to get cooked through to the middle because of how dense it is. If you are having trouble then cover around the outside of the pan with strips of tinfoil, turn the heat down a bit, and continue cooking until the middle is done. 

FYI - this freezes very well.