Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread Muffins

Need to level up from your typical boxed-cornbread fare? Of course you do, and these Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread Muffins are going to be your way there.

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Jalapeno cheddar cornbread

Cornbread is a simple dish with a rich history and a ton of exciting variations. While a good, "plain" cornbread can certainly stand up on its own, I always like to take opportunities to spice things up.

One of my favorite ways to enjoy cornbread is with jalapeno and cheddar. The kick from the peppers and tang from the cheese just take the whole thing up a notch.

The most exciting thing about different styles of cornbread is how they play together with other foods and drinks. And cornbread is really versatile–the pairing possibilities are only really limited by your imagination.

Jalapeno cheddar cornbread muffins

Besides the flavor from ingredients, one other way to mix things up with cornbread is how you actually present it. Want to try it in a skillet? I don't blame you—I love making things in skillets myself. Check out these pancakes!

As you'll have guessed by now, this post is all about muffins. Jalapeno cheddar cornbread muffins, to be precise.

Muffins have the advantage of being an easy visual for your portion, because there's no need to guess about where to cut. Plus, they're super cute. Who doesn't love a good muffin?!

Ingredients for jalapeno cheddar cornbread

I talked about leveling up your standard boxed-cornbread fare, and this is one great way to do it! We're not going entirely from scratch, however. One way to elevate your boxed mix experience is to start with a better mix.

I like to use Kodiak Cakes cornbread mix for these muffins, because I've had a good experience with their products. The main message is to think about where you're starting from. If that means "splurging" on a more premium mix on the front end, your final product may benefit in the end.

This becomes especially true with simple recipes that involve very few ingredients in the first place. You're going to notice if one of your ingredients isn't on the same level as the rest!

Here's all that's involved in making this:

• 1 box cornbread mix
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• ½ cup jalapenos (diced, seeded)

Cornbread muffins substitutions

When you've only got a few ingredients, each substitution you make is going to change the identity of the dish pretty drastically.

That said, you can obviously switch up the mix, the style of cheese, or the kind of pepper (serrano? green chiles? yes please).

If you switch something up that you end up really liking, let me know in the comments.

How to make cornbread muffins

It's probably obvious, but the foundations of this recipe are going to change based on the instructions on your boxed mix. If your box says 375, follow the box! Otherwise, here's my procedure:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease a muffin tray and set aside.
• Slice the jalapenos and take out the seeds. Dice the jalapenos.
• In a large bowl, make the cornbread batter following the instructions on the box. Mix well.
• Fold in ½ of the jalapenos and ½ of the shredded cheese into the batter.
• Evenly distribute the batter into 12 muffin spaces.
• Sprinkle the remaining cheese and jalapenos on top of each muffin.
• Bake for 30 minutes (or whatever the directions for the muffin mix you used say).
• Take out of the oven, smear with butter, and ENJOY.

Need more recipe ideas?

You just elevated your cornbread game, but maybe you need to step up your culinary game all around? Try one of these Jordo's World staples:

• Creamy sausage tortellini soup
• Chicken alfredo pasta bake
• Slow cooker pork carnitas

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