Bacon Cheddar Cornbread Muffins
These Bacon Cheddar Cornbread Muffins are packed with crispy bacon, sharp cheddar cheese and classic cornbread flavor. They’re the perfect side dish for soups and stews!
This Bacon Cheddar Cornbread Muffins post is sponsored by Cabot Creamery, but the recipe and opinions are entirely my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Spiced!
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It took a little longer to arrive this year, but sweater weather is finally here! The leaves are starting to change colors. There is a crispness in the air. The prospect of the upcoming holidays is exciting. There is just a magic that comes with this time of the year!
Speaking of fall, it’s time to embrace some of our favorite comfort foods. Soups and stews are a staple around our house in autumn – there’s always a pot simmering on the stovetop. There’s nothing quite like a warm bowl of soup on a chilly day. But let’s be honest – every good bowl of soup requires a side of cornbread!
Bacon Cheddar Cornbread Muffins
With it’s golden brown edges and tender center, cornbread is the perfect side dish for many of our favorite cold weather foods. A good cornbread is crumbly, but not dry. It also has a bit of sweetness, but it’s not dessert. It should have enough flavor to stand on its own and not just an afterthought. Today we’re making the perfect cornbread…in muffin form! Cheese. Bacon. Cornbread. These Bacon Cheddar Cornbread Muffins are absolutlely amazing, and they’re perfect next to soups, stews and chili. They’re perfect for autumn. Let’s jump right in!
Ingredients
- Thick-Cut Bacon. Cut the bacon into ½” pieces before adding it to the skillet. That helps it cook faster, and it’s already chopped up and ready for the cornbread.
- All-Purpose Flour and Yellow Cornmeal. The proportion of flour to cornmeal is key to making good cornbread. I personally love the 3 parts flour to 2 parts cornmeal ratio.
- Sugar. Cornbread needs sugar to add flavor and sweetness. Just don’t add too much, or that cornbread ends up tasting like dessert.
- Baking Powder. Extra baking powder helps the corn muffins rise in the oven.
- Salt. Salt helps balance the flavor in the corn muffins.
- Unsalted Butter. If using salted butter, reduce or omit the extra salt.
- Milk. Whole milk works best, but any milk will work here.
- Eggs. 2 eggs provide structure as well as moisture which keeps the corn muffins from becoming dry or gritty.
- Cheddar Cheese. Ah, the cheese. The most important part! This recipe calls for a block of shredded cheese. We went with Cabot’s Seriously Sharp Cheddar because it’s one of our all-time favorite cheeses. More on that below!
How to Make Cornbread Muffins
- Preheat Oven and Prep a Muffin Pan. Turn the oven on to 375°F and spray a standard 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
- Sprinkle Corn Meal into the Muffin Cups. This is a bit of a unique twist, but it adds a toasted cornmeal flavor and texture to the bottom of each muffin.
- Combine the Dry Ingredients. Using a large bowl, add all of the dry ingredients.
- Combine the Wet Ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.
- Stir Wet Ingredients into Dry Ingredients. Stir until just barely combined.
- Add Shredded Cheese and Bacon. Fold the cheese and bacon into the batter.
- Divide Batter into Muffin Cups. Each cup will be almost full, but this will lead to big, beautiful cornbread muffins once they bake!
- Bake until Golden Brown. About 25 minutes.
Cheesy Goodness
These cornbread muffins are delicious without bacon and cheddar. But we all know that bacon and cheese make everything better! For the cheese, I opted for a block of Cabot’s Seriously Sharp Cheddar Cheese. If you love cheddar cheese, then you likely already know about Cabot. They make the best cheddar cheese. Hands down. No questions asked. We keep their cheddar cheese stocked in the fridge at all times!
Cabot’s Seriously Sharp Cheddar has a bold, delicious flavor. It’s tasty in it’s own right, but it’s also great melted into recipes like these Bacon Cheddar Cornbread Muffins. Cabot cheeses are naturally gluten-free and lactose-free as well.
Bonus: that block of cheddar includes 7 grams of protein per serving. Talk about a sneaky way to add protein to your diet without giving up on flavor! Cabot’s Seriously Sharp won Best in Class at the most recent U.S. Championship Cheese Contest. On a side note, can one attend this contest and sample all of the cheeses? Inquiring minds need to know! If you haven’t tried Cabot cheddar yet, then grab 2 blocks – 1 for this recipe and 1 for nibbling.
As we head into the cooler months of the year, it’s time to pull out the soup pot. But don’t forget about the side dishes! A batch of these Bacon Cheddar Cornbread Muffins is perfect next to a bowl of your favorite soup or chili. Whip up a batch for dinner tonight. I hope you enjoy these cornbread muffins as much as we do around here – Happy Baking!
Did you make this Bacon Cheddar Cornbread Muffins recipe at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me (@Spicedblog) and Cabot (@CabotCreamery) on Instagram – we’d love to see your version!
Bacon Cheddar Cornbread Muffins
Ingredients
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon cut into ~½” pieces
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal plus ~2 Tbsp for dusting pan
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup milk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups shredded Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar Cheese divided
Instructions
- Using a small skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes, or until crispy. Remove bacon from skillet and pat dry with paper towels. Set cooked bacon aside.
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Spray a standard 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. If desired, insert a paper liner into each cup. Sprinkle a small amount of cornmeal into each cup (use ~2 Tbsp of cornmeal for the entire pan); set prepared pan aside.
- Using a large bowl, add flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt; stir until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, milk and eggs.
- Pour wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients; stir until just combined.
- Add cooked bacon and 1½ cups of shredded cheese; fold until just combined.
- Divide batter evenly into muffin cups. (Note: Each muffin cup will be almost full.)
- Sprinkle remaining ½ cup of cheese on top of each cup.
- Bake for 24-26 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cornbread comes out clean.
- Let cornbread cool in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Looking for some tasty soups and stews to pair with this cornbread? Check out these favorites:
Thanks for making me hungry BTW cant wait to make your recipes soon for me