Cheddar apple cornbread muffins coming in hot for the beginning of Thanksgiving week!
There are some Thanksgiving items that are just mandatory. And I think we can all agree that bread at the table is one of those things!
Whether it be warm dinner rolls or homemade crusty bread fresh out of the oven, it’s always nice to have something to pass around and sort of “fill in” the gaps on the table. A few small bowls of softened, salted butter alongside and all is well.
This year, I am making these cheddar apple cornbread muffins, and I really think they’re going to be a hit.
Ever since I was young and started to cook Thanksgiving dinner for my family, I have always made cornbread. In the beginning, it was simply cornbread from a box mix. I would make two batches, one to eat warm with honey butter and the other to dry out for a cornbread stuffing with apples and cranberries.
No matter what form, cornbread has always been on our Thanksgiving table. And these cornbread muffins are a new staple. Extremely soft, tender, and moist. Full of caramelized apples and lots of cheddar cheese. These things are just perfect.
Plus, these cornbread muffins could not be simpler. I think it took me a total of 10 minutes to prep them and then 14 minutes to bake.
While the muffins are in the oven, I whipped some softened butter with sage and maple syrup. And a pinch of salt. Just leave this butter at room temperature until serving so it’s soft and melts right onto the warm cornbread muffins.
The cheesy, salty, slightly sweet combination really will make everyone so happy come Thanksgiving (which I cannot believe is only 4 days away!).
Wishing everyone a smooth week getting ready for the big day, and definitely hoping you add these cornbread muffins to your list! …and while you’re buying apples, definitely try this maple apple ricotta cake as well.
Enjoy!
PrintCheddar Apple Cornbread Muffins with Maple Sage Butter
cheesy cornbread muffins with cheddar, caramelized apples, and maple sage butter
yield: 12 muffins
Ingredients
Muffins
- 2 tbsp butter
- 8 oz diced apples
- pinch of salt
- 1 cup medium stone ground cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup neutral-flavored oil
- 1 cup milk
- 6 oz shredded cheddar cheese
Maple Sage Butter
- 2 sticks butter, softened
- 12 large sage leaves, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Muffins
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin with oil, making sure to spread a generous amount of oil onto the bottoms and sides of each cup. You could also use parchment muffin liners.
- Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the apples and a pinch of salt. Saute for about 5-6 minutes until the apples are slightly caramelized. Let cool.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. In another mixing bowl, beat the eggs. Add the oil to the eggs and whisk until fully incorporated. Stir in the milk.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Fold in the caramelized apples and cheddar cheese.
- Evenly distribute the batter into the prepared muffin tin. Bake for 20 minutes until the muffins are golden and cooked through.
- Serve warm or at room temperature with a smear of maple sage butter (recipe below).
Sage Butter
- While the muffins bake, combine the softened butter, sage, maple syrup, and a pinch of salt in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Whip the butter until all of the ingredients are incorporated.
- Keep the butter at room temperature until serving.
Hi Lisa! I just made these for Thanksgiving dinner and they are amazing! May I substitute gluten free flour? Thanks!
Hi Sue! I haven’t tested these with gluten-free flour, but I feel like an almond flour might work. If you happen to try it out, let me know how it goes! So glad you enjoyed these, and happy holidays.
Can these be frozen?
Hi Lisa, I’ve never tried, but I think it could work. I’m not a fan of frozen baked goods, but for having something on hand in a pinch, I think it’d be great! Let me know if you try it out and happy holidays!
how many apples to make 6 oz?
Hi Carli, about 1 large apple! I hope you love them.
Sort of confused why the recipe itself does not call for any maple syrup but it includes “maple sage butter”. I just made these and the muffins are delicious- although I might add more apple and a pinch of cinnamon
Just fixed the maple! Thanks for catching that. And I’m so glad you like them! I’m making them again for Thanksgiving this year, and might definitely have to try more apple, too. Happy holidays!