Sweet Cornbread

This delicious Sweet Cornbread is the sweet version of my original cornbread. This cornbread is crisp around the edges, super soft in the center, and has a perfect golden-brown crust. If you like to serve a sweet style cornbread with your dinner or beans then this recipe is for you. It is super easy and it turns out perfect every single time.

I like to cook cornbread in a cast iron pan but if you do not have a cast iron pan you can use any baking dish that you have on hand. It should fit in either an 8×8 inch or a 9×9 inch baking dish (glass or metal) depending on how thin or thick you want your cornbread. The cooking times for these pans may vary from the directions so just keep an eye on the cornbread so you do not overbake it.

Let’s get started.

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup coconut oil – melted and cooled slightly
1/3 cup honey
2 eggs – room temp
1/3 cup buttermilk – room temp
1 tsp salt (coarse) or 1/2 tsp fine salt
2 tbsp butter

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven and the cast iron pan in the oven to 350*. ( if you use a glass or metal dish you do not have to preheat the pan)
2. In a bowl combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix very well to prevent any lumps of baking soda.
3. Add the melted oil, honey, buttermilk, and eggs. Mix well and let stand at room temp on the counter for about 10 minutes. This allows the cornmeal to absorb the liquid.
4. Carefully remove the skillet from the oven with an oven mitt and place it on the top of the stove. Add the butter and spread it around the pan to melt and coat the pan.
5. Pour the batter into the skillet and level off the batter. Using an oven mitt, place the skillet back into the oven and allow the cornbread batter to cook until the top is golden brown and cooked through. This should take about 20 to 30 minutes depending on your stove. The edges should pull from the sides of the skillet and it should be a golden color on the top of the cornbread. You can test the center with a toothpick and if it comes out clean it is done.
6. Carefully remove the skillet from the oven with an oven mitt and place it on the top of the stove or cooling rack to cool. Slice into wedges and serve with butter or honey butter.

• Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
• If you can not eat honey you can use any sugar, honey substitute, sugar substitute, or other sweeteners of choice. You may have to adjust the sweetness to your liking. I would use around the same or slightly less granulated or cane sugar. I would use 1/2 or even 1/4 of the amount of sugars like stevia or other sugar substitutes as they are more sweet than granulated or can sugars.
• Honey makes the cornbread have a more deep golden color than other sugars will so just keep that in mind if you switch out the sweetener.
• If you want a more dense cornbread you can leave out the flour and just add the 3/4 cup of cornmeal instead. I like my cornbread a little less dense and more “cake-like” but still cornbread consistency… if that makes any sense.
• If you do not have coconut oil you can use any neutral-flavored oil such as vegetable, melted Crisco, melted lard, or even avocado oil. If you want a more rich flavor with a hint of olive… you can use olive oil.
• If you do not want to make this a sweet cornbread you can certainly leave out the sweetener. I know a lot of people do not like sweet cornbread and that is perfectly fine. Just leave it out and add 1/3 cup of extra buttermilk or milk to the recipe.
• If you want to add even more corn flavor to this recipe grind up some popcorn kernels in a blender or food processor until smooth and sift it into the dry ingredients. Just remove the amount of cornmeal and replace what you take out with ground popcorn. I do this on occasion and it is absolutely delicious. (when I have popcorn on hand)
• You do not have to let this sit the 10 minutes if you do not want to. I find that it just helps in the consistency of the cornbread to not be so grainy in texture. You can certainly skip this step if you prefer your cornbread with more of a grainy texture.
• If you bake your cornbread in a glass or metal baking dish you may have to add or lessen the baking time depending on the pan that you use. Glass dishes usually take more time to bake food than metal pans. Keep an eye on the cornbread and when it is golden and a toothpick comes out clean you can remove it from the oven.