Blueberry Cornbread
This Blueberry Cornbread is a tasty combination of sweet and savory – and it makes for a fantastic summer side dish!
Blueberries in cornbread, you say? Well, that certainly sounds different! I’ve been seeing a bunch of recipes recently for fresh blueberries – it is that time of the year after all. However, one recipe in particular from Cook’s Country caught me eye. Cornbread…with 2 cups of blueberries mixed in. I’m a sucker for good cornbread, and I love blueberries, too. I needed to give this idea a try!
This cornbread recipe is baked in an 8″ square pan, and the first thing I noticed is how nicely it rises. It produces 9 rather tall squares of delicious cornbread. (One of the squares disappeared as I cleaning up from taking these photos. It happens.) I often use a cast iron skillet for cornbread, and I’ll likely use that for the next batch of this Blueberry Cornbread.
The cornbread itself has excellent flavor, and at some point I’m going to try this recipe again without the berries. Don’t get me wrong – the blueberries are a fun addition to this cornbread, but I do want to try it plain. It was buttery, moist and packed with flavor!
One of the things I love about making different recipes is picking up unique tips and tricks along the way. This recipe called for the bottom of the baking pan to be dusted with 2 tablespoons of cornmeal. The result was fantastic! The cornmeal at the bottom gets a bit crunchy in the oven, and it adds a wonderful texture to the finished version. (I also suspect it keeps the bottom from getting soggy.)
Blueberry Cornbread
But let’s talk about those blueberries. I wasn’t sure what to think about a cornbread recipe with berries in it. It’s not a traditional cornbread. It’s not blueberry muffins. It’s somewhere in between, and this recipe is fantastic! Seriously. The little pockets of blueberries add a nice sweetness to the cornbread without being overly sweet. Definitely putting this one on the list to make again this summer!
As I let this Blueberry Cornbread cool on the counter, Laura walked by and commented, “Interesting. It smells delicious! But what do you serve it with?” Valid question.
While this Blueberry Cornbread could be served for breakfast, it isn’t a blueberry muffin…or a corn muffin for that matter. I would put this cornbread on the sweet side of savory. That means it would pair well with a savory but sweet meal – something like balsamic chicken or smoked ribs brushed with BBQ sauce both come to mind. I also just ate this cornbread as a midafternoon snack. Lightly toasted with a bit of that whipped honey butter on top? Delicious!
Fresh or Frozen
While we are rolling into fresh blueberry season, the nice thing about this Blueberry Cornbread recipe is you can use fresh or frozen berries. If you use frozen berries, I recommend letting them thaw first and then drain any excess juice that might be left in the bowl.
Whipped Honey Butter
This cornbread is moist and delicious in its own right, but if you want to take it to a whole new level then smear some whipped honey butter on top! This honey butter is insanely easy to make – it’s literally honey and room-temperature butter whipped together until smooth. Once spread on top of the cornbread, though? Magical things happen!
If you’re hunting for a unique summer side dish, then look no further! This recipe is now a favorite in our house, and I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Happy baking!
Did you make a batch of this Blueberry Cornbread at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog) – I’d love to see your version!
Blueberry Cornbread
Ingredients
For the Blueberry Cornbread
- 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 fresh blueberries can use frozen + thawed blueberries!
For the Whipped Honey Butter
- ¼ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1½ Tbsp honey
Instructions
For the Blueberry Cornbread
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Spray an 8” square baking pan with baking spray. Dust bottom of pan with ~2 Tbsp of cornmeal; set pan aside.
- Using a large bowl, add flour, corn meal, sugar, baking powder and salt; stir until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, milk and eggs.
- Pour egg mixture into the bowl with the flour mixture; stir until just combined.
- Fold the blueberries into batter.
- Pour batter into prepared pan.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cornbread comes out clean. (Note: This is a good time to make the whipped honey butter!)
- Let cornbread cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing; let cool on a wire rack for 5-10 more minutes before slicing and serving.
For the Whipped Honey Butter
- Stir butter and honey together until creamy. (Note: If needed, feel free to microwave this mixture for 5-10 seconds.)
- Serve cornbread with whipped honey butter on the side.
Notes
Looking for more tasty cornbread recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
Cant wait to make this soon for me for the cornbread can i use vegan butter and almond milk and honey butter can i use vegan butter i never had blueberry cornbread before perfect for my after office snacks love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
Hey Ramya! Yes, I believe vegan substitutions would be perfectly fine in this recipe. I hope you enjoy it!
I bet this is great! I don’t even think that much sugar is necessary. But that’s just me!
You could certainly drop the sugar a bit…especially if the blueberries are extra sweet!
I love cornbread, but I don’t think I’ve ever had one with the addition of fresh fruit or berries. Where have you been that long with such a great idea, David?! 🙂
Also, I think using a cast iron skillet is a smart idea too, as it helps to achieve a super nice crust / caramelization, I suspect.
Haha – I have to say that adding fruit to cornbread is a new favorite around here! It’s great for these warm summer days when all of the berries are fresh, too.
ooh yes i have to agree with Mimi. that does sound like a lot of sugar. I have a fab recipe for cornbread in a cookbook I got in the US years ago – The American Table. I’ve been making it ever since. I know this is controversial but every recipe i’ve ever seen using frozen fruit says not to defrost it first as it then bleeds into the batter. Just saying … :=)
You could certainly drop the sugar a bit if you prefer! I loved this recipe as is, but feel free to adjust to your style. 🙂
Such a fun idea, David! I love cornbread and blueberries so combining the two just makes sense. I bet this is so tasty freshly made with a generous smear of butter (or, better yet, that honey butter you mentioned). Wish I had a big piece right now to go along with my coffee!
Butter makes everything better, Dawn! But, yes, this blueberry cornbread turned out really well. It’s definitely a new favorite here in our house!
This seems like a winning combo to me! I’d love it as a stand-in for ‘shortbread’ with a big dollop of whipped cream on top!
Ohhh…you make an excellent point there, Marissa! I like that idea of using this as the base for a summer dessert. Gonna have to try that out now!
Never thought of adding fruit to cornbread, but I can totally see how well it works! Those bursts of flavor in each bite! Yum!!
Fruit in cornbread totally works! If you use a sweeter cornbread recipe (like this one) then it’s almost a dessert. Give it a try for sure!
I’m sitting here drinking my morning tea drooling at this cornbread… I’d like a slice right now, pretty please! Wanna hear something nutty? Adam doesn’t like cornbread! So I pretty much never make it because then I’d be eating the whole batch myself… but I mightttt just have to do it this time. The addition of blueberries sounds so good! There’s a favorite restaurant of mine in Austin called Bouldin Creek Cafe that makes a delicious blueberry cornbread.
This cornbread…it’s SO good, Nicole. I totally get where Adam is coming from. There are so many different types of cornbread out there. And unfortunately cornbread can get really dry really fast. This one is on the sweeter side, and it’s not dry at all. It’s basically dessert. 🙂 Now I have to go look up Bouldin Creek Cafe!!