As cherry season reaches its end, and we enter this last month of summer, I wanted to share my recipe for Cherry Cornbread Muffins. It's an idea that's been bouncing around inside my head for a few months now; some remnant of a memory of a baked good. A lot of the time, cornbread is flavored with more savory flavors, such as jalapeño or cheddar. For some reason, the idea of cherries stuck with me. The cornbread is a little lighter and sweeter than usual, almost like a fluffy cake. These muffins are packed full of deep red cherries, and topped off with Orange Honey Butter!

Cherry Cornbread Muffins, alternating between batter and cherries

Taking a page from blueberry muffin methods, I tossed the cherries in a light coat of flour before adding them to the batter. Because the cherries are a bit larger and heavier than blueberries, I recommend alternating layers of batter and floured cherries to make sure they are evenly dispersed. Alternatively, you can add the floured cherries to the batter, and then scoop it into the muffin tins to speed up the process.

Orange Honey Butter is a long-time favorite cornbread topping of mine. Just a super classic combination of butter and honey, speckled with flecks of orange zest. It's made a little less messy by whipping all of the ingredients together into a fluffy butter that melts beautifully over warm muffins!

Note: This recipe makes more than enough butter for the Cherry Cornbread Muffins, but I like making a little extra and I use the rest on top of toast or bagels.

cherry cornbread muffins

yield: 10 muffins | time: 40 minutes

ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour (+ 1/4 cup for the cherries)
1 cup cornmeal
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups cherries, quartered and pitted
For the Orange Honey Butter (optional)
½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick), softened at room temperature
2 tablespoons honey
zest of 1 orange
pinch of salt

method

Preheat the oven to 350℉. Prepare a muffin pan with cooking spray, liners, or a thin layer of butter.
In a large mix bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, whisking until combined.
Toss the cherries with the 1/4 cup of flour, shaking off any excess.
Spoon half of the batter into the muffin tins (about 10), then disperse half of the floured cherries on top of the batter. Cover with the remaining batter, then top with the rest of the cherries.
Bake for 17-20 minutes, until golden. Let rest for 15 minutes, and serve warm with Orange Honey Butter!

For the Orange Honey Butter

Cream the softened butter, orange zest, honey, and salt, until fluffy and whipped.
Enjoy with Cherry Cornbread Muffins!