Heaven in a Pan

Yesterday was quite the chilly day for us Chicagoans, so the BF and I decided it was perfect weather for making chili and cornbread. We have this turkey chili recipe that we make all of the time, and yesterday was no exception. I've already posted about the recipe awhile back, but last night I wanted to try a new cornbread recipe. We love anything that's spicy, so I searched for a cheddar jalapeno variety. I came across a recipe from Williams-Sonoma that had great ratings on my favorite recipe site, Foodily.

The recipe was extremely simple to make. Just combine your dry ingredients in a bowl, form a well in the middle, and then slowly incorporate your wet ingredients. I think this mixing process is what really made the texture of the cornbread amazing.

The result was a perfectly crispy crust with an extremely buttery, melt-in-your-mouth middle. The bread has just the right amount of kick from the cayenne and jalapeno peppers. I was seriously blown away with how delicious this cornbread was that I gave myself a pat on the back. Literally.This is the perfect side dish for chili or any other soup; I even had it the next morning with my coffee. Let me know if you try it out!

Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread
Recipe adapted from Williams-Sonoma

Ingredients:

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 Tbs. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup finely chopped seeded jalapeño pepper

 3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 egg

1 cup skim milk 

4 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 400°F. Grease a 9-inch square pan, muffin pan or cast-iron skillet

In a large bowl, stir together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, cayenne, sugar, jalapeños and cheese. Make a well in the center.

In another bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk and melted butter until just blended. Pour the egg mixture into the well in the cornmeal mixture and fold gently until the batter is blended and no lumps remain.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the corn bread comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Cut the corn bread into wedges and serve. Serves 8 to 10.