Cheesy Jalapeño Cornmeal Muffins

At a Glance 

These Jalapeño Cornmeal Muffins are made with cornmeal, buttermilk, flour, jalapeño chili peppers, and cheese. They have a mild-to-medium heat. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 400°F and serve with ribs, honey butter, chili, and more. 

Cheesy Jalapeño Cornmeal Muffins

Have you ever used your barbecue as an oven? These cheesy jalapeño corn muffins are “baked” on the grill and turn out delicious! Unlike oven-baking, these muffins require a closer eye to monitor the temperature of the barbecue, but are a great choice when you don’t want your oven heating up your house. (Making them in an oven? We have directions for that, too!) 

Prepared using a simple batter that’s buttery, rich, and deeply flavourful thanks to spicy jalapeños and our Fiesta Blend Shredded Cheese, these muffins are a must-make. Serve them at your next backyard party, BBQ, or get-together for everyone to enjoy! 

Ingredients for Jalapeño Cornbread Muffins 

Cornmeal: When you think “cornbread” you might think “corn”, but this recipe actually uses cornmeal rather than corn on the cob. Cornmeal is made from dried corn that is ground into a fine powder, although not as fine as corn flour or corn starch. (A fine or medium ground cornmeal is best for this recipe.) It has a sweet, corn-forward flavour that makes these muffins a unique addition to your backyard BBQ or Southern-style dinner table. 

Buttermilk: For tender cornbread muffins, we use buttermilk. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can make your own with regular dairy milk and a tablespoon of either white vinegar or lemon juice. Allow it to sit for five minutes for proper activation. Buttermilk is naturally acidic, which helps activate the leavening agents (baking powder and baking soda) in this recipe. This allows the muffins to rise properly for a light, tender texture. 

Jalapeño Chili Pepper: Fresh jalapeño slices bring the heat in this recipe. For a milder take on these cornmeal muffins, remove all the seeds and white part (known as the pith) from the jalapeño. This will still give you flavour from the pepper but it won’t be as spicy. If, however, you enjoy all things fiery, leave the seeds in the recipe. They can be eaten and will ratchet things up on the heat scale. 

Cheese: Cheddar cheese is a great choice for this cornbread muffin recipe. Shredded Cheddar has a sharp, bold flavour that complements the jalapeño pepper. However, for this recipe we’ve opted for a blend of three cheeses. Our Fiesta Blend Shredded Cheese is made with Monterey Jack, hot pepper brick, and hot Havarti cheeses. It adds a little extra spice and flavour to this recipe. 

Tips for the Best Jalapeño Cornmeal Muffins 

Don’t overmix: Overmixing your muffin batter can cause it to become tough and dry. Mix your wet ingredients and dry ingredients just until they are incorporated. Less stirring means less gluten is developed in the batter, resulting in light, tender muffins. 

Use muffin liners: If you’ve gone to the trouble of making cornbread muffins from scratch, the last thing you want is them sticking to the muffin tin. When shredded cheese is involved, the potential for sticking is increased. To avoid this, make sure you have muffin liners on hand to add to your tin so that your muffins come out in one piece. 

Don’t overfill: Overfilling your muffin tin can lead to muffin eruption and a major mess. Fill your muffin liners just 2/3 full so they bake up well but don’t overflow. 

Use room temperature ingredients: A good rule of thumb for baking is to make sure your cold ingredients are at room temperature to allow for a better incorporation. In this recipe, your eggs and melted butter should be at room temperature so that the melted butter doesn’t cook the eggs and the eggs don’t curdle the butter. 

Ingredient Additions to Jalapeño Cornmeal Muffins 

Smoked Bacon: For some added savouriness and heartiness, add cooked crumbled bacon to this recipe. We like our Double Smoked Sliced Bacon, which is smoked over applewood for a deep, delicious flavour. Cook your bacon in the oven for a hands-off approach until it’s your preferred level of doneness, then allow it to cool. Once it’s cooled enough for you to crumble, add it to your muffin batter before baking. 

Whole Corn Kernels: Looking for more texture and some additional corn flavour? You can’t go wrong with the real deal! Use whole corn kernels (canned, fresh, or thawed from frozen) folded in with the shredded cheese and jalapeño slices. 

Browned Butter: We used slightly cooled melted butter for these cornbread muffins, but if you want a deeper flavour, try browned butter. To make browned butter, add your butter to a pan or skillet over medium-low heat and allow it to melt. Stir your butter, allowing it to brown and the milk solids within to get nicely toasted. Your butter will look foamy and have a delicious nutty scent, which means it’s done. Remove from the pan and transfer to a heatproof bowl to prevent burning. 

Cream Cheese: If you want added decadence (and a cheesy surprise), use cream cheese! After filling your muffin tin with your muffin batter, add a small scoop (or cube) of Farm Boy™ Cream Cheese. Cover with a sprinkle of shredded cheese and a jalapeño slice before cooking as directed below. 

What to Serve with Jalapeño Cornmeal Muffins 

Chili: Making these cornmeal muffins for a BBQ or cookout? Or maybe you just have a craving for some Tex-Mex style food? Either way, these cheesy, spicy muffins pair beautifully with a hearty bowl of chili! Try our recipe for Turkey Chili or pick up a container that’s fresh and ready to enjoy, like our chef-prepared Beef Chili, or vegan Quinoa Veggie Chili, and Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili. 

Honey Butter: We love pairing salty with sweet, and if cornbread pairs well with anything, it’s honey butter. Beat together softened butter with Farm Boy™ Pure Ontario Liquid Honey to taste and spread it on muffins warm out of the oven (or off the barbecue.) The sweet, floral nature of the honey tempers the heat of the jalapeño while complimenting the corn. 

Ribs: Another staple you’ll find at Southern barbecue joints is ribs. Fall-off-the-bone tender, drenched in sauce, you need something to keep all that rich meat from tasting too heavy. Enter: these jalapeño cornmeal muffins. Even though we have a generous serving of cheese in this recipe, the fresh jalapeños offer a nice lift that contrasts with the ribs. Looking to make ribs yourself? Try our BBQ Glazed Pork Back Ribs recipe or pick up our Fully Cooked Maple BBQ Pork Back Ribs at your local Farm Boy! 

Coleslaw: Prepping a side-heavy spread? Coleslaw is here to answer the call. This side allows us to play with texture: crunchy, creamy coleslaw and fluffy, cheesy corn muffins. Prep your own or pick up a ready-made version from our Chef’s Market. 

Hot Honey: For a little drizzle of sweetness that comes with a slight kick of heat, you’re going to want to delve into the flavour phenomenon known as hot honey. Our flavour-infused Hot Honey is made in Ontario in small batches with just two ingredients: honey and chili peppers. A drizzle of this (or perhaps a nice pour into your own whipped hot honey butter) takes this cornmeal muffins to the next level. 

More Corn Recipes from Farm Boy 

Looking for more recipes featuring corn? Check out any of the dishes below! 

Mexican Street Corn Salad (Esquites) 

Sweet and Spicy Corn Fritters with Chimichurri Yogurt Sauce 

Mexican Style Corn Ribs 

South of the Border Black Bean Salad 

Spicy Cajun Chicken and Corn Skillet 

Grilled Mexican Style Street Corn