Jalapeno Honey Corn Muffins with Honey Butter

These are the perfect accompaniment to any meal. I would pair them with soup, BBQ, and maybe even my breakfast. The crunchy corn and jalapeno with the sweet sweet honey butter is a melt in your mouth combo that will have you inhaling all of these before your dinner is even ready. I think I ate three of them “just to make sure they were edible” and by the time it came for dinner all I wanted was, MORE MUFFINS.

For the Muffins:

what you need:

• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 /2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 egg + 1 yolk, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup honey
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup corn kernels I used fresh but feel free to use canned corn
• 1 large jalapeno pepper, seeds and ribs removed and diced

what you need to do:

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
• Let’s brown some butter. Put the butter in a saucepan on medium heat. It will melt, and then start to get foamy and make little popping noises. Once the popping begins, start to swirl the pan around and notice the little brown bits forming in the bottom of the pan. Continue to swirl until the butter turns a nice amber color and the bottom bits are all browned and it has a nutty aroma. Set aside to cool.
• In a large bowl, mix together the cornmeal, flour, brown sugar, salt, and baking powder.
• In a separate bowl, mix together the buttermilk, egg + yolk, honey, and cooled browned butter until combined.
• Create a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, and then pour in the wet ingredients. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, gently mix until the ingredients are JUST combined.
• Add in the corn and jalapeno, and gently fold in until they are incorporated throughout the batter. Be careful to not over-mix.
• Line a muffin pan with liners and spoon the batter evenly across the cups.
• I sliced an extra jalapeno I had into very thin little pieces and placed on top of the batter to give them a little decoration, but this is optional and does not affect the taste at all if you omit.
• Bake for about 10 – 12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
• Remove from pan immediately and set on a rack to cool.
• Serve warm with honey butter! Recipe for honey butter below.

For the Honey Butter:

what you need:

• 1 stick of unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup honey

what you need to do:

• In a small bowl, combine all ingredients until fully mixed.
• Place in an airtight container and keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
• Before serving, I recommend leaving it out on the counter for about 30 minutes to soften it and make it easier to spread.