Honey Butter Cornbread

As the holidays approach, cornbread has been on my mind. And I’m tired of the traditional, crumbly cornbread you usually find at Thanksgiving dinner. So, I dreamt up this honey butter cornbread, and it really breaks the mold.

Basted and finished with a rich, sweet (but slightly salty) honey butter, every inch is soaked with all that goodness. It’s got an incredibly moist, almost cake-like texture, and, honestly, you could probably enjoy it as “cake” for dessert. It walks that line between sweet and savory beautifully, and I cannot wait to serve it with my Garlic Butter Turkey and Scalloped Potatoes.

Behind This Honey Butter Cornbread Recipe

This cornbread is a far cry from the dry, crumbly versions you’ve had in the past. Here’s what sets it apart:

• The secret to this heavenly dish is, hands down, the honey butter. And it’s not just brushed on top. The cornbread gets basted with honey butter while it bakes, and when it comes out of the oven, you poke holes in it so the honey butter seeps into every nook and cranny.
• Forget that typical sandy, crumbly cornbread texture. You won’t find that here. Thanks to the sour cream, creamed corn, and honey butter basting, this cornbread has an incredibly moist, tender crumb. It’s almost more like a cake than a bread.
• This cornbread is technically a side dish meant to be served with a savory main, but between the brown sugar, vanilla, and the sticky honey butter glaze, I wouldn’t say no to having it for dessert. That said, there’s enough savory in the salted butter and the cornmeal to bring it back into dinner-time territory. I love the balance.

Tips From My Kitchen

Want to elevate your cornbread from good to great? Take a moment to read through these pro tips:

• Really grease the pan. This cornbread loves to stick to the pan, so butter it (the pan) liberally. You can also line it with parchment paper if you prefer.
• Room temperature dairy. It’s best to use room temperature milk, sour cream, and eggs for this recipe. They’ll mix more easily into the batter than their cold counterparts. This helps prevent overmixing (see my next point). If you’d like to pop your wet ingredients in the microwave for 40 seconds, you can do that.
• Don’t over-mix. When combining the wet and dry ingredients, mix just until everything is incorporated. Mixing beyond that point will overdevelop the gluten for tough, dense cornbread.
• Baste. Basting the cornbread with honey butter halfway through the baking time is kind of a big deal here. It keeps the cornbread extra moist and gives the honey butter time to infuse the bread with flavor.
• Poke some holes. Before adding the second half of the honey butter to the fresh-out-of-the-oven cornbread, poke holes in the bread. This will allow the honey butter to soak in, rather than just sitting on top.
• Make extra honey butter. This recipe makes enough honey butter to baste and finish the cornbread, but I like making a little extra to serve with the finished dish.

Variations & Substitutions

If you want to do something a little different with this honey butter cornbread recipe, you absolutely can. Here are a few ideas for you:

• Make it spicy. If you like the sweet-and-spicy vibe, fold 1 cup of diced jalapeño into the batter just before baking. Not a jalapeños person? Add a dash of smoked paprika or cayenne to the batter (and to the honey butter, if you’d like). You could also swap some or all of the honey out for hot honey.
• Make muffins instead. Instead of baking this cornbread in a 9×13 pan, bake the batter in a muffin pan for 16-20 minutes. Baste the muffins with honey butter halfway through baking, and remember to poke holes in them before brushing them with honey butter.
• Browned butter cornbread. If you have an extra minute or two, brown the butter in a pan before adding it to the batter for a richer, almost nutty flavor.
• Blend the creamed corn. If you don’t like chunks of corn in your cornbread, you can blend the creamed corn before adding it to the batter.
• Rum addition. In the Caribbean, it’s not uncommon to taste notes of rum in cornbread. You can replicate that here by adding 2 tablespoons to the wet ingredients and/or 1-2 teaspoons to the honey butter.

Ingredients You’ll Need & Why

Ok, time to get started. First step? Gather your ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need (see the recipe card below for precise measurements):

Cornbread Batter

• All-purpose flour – If you prefer a 1:1 gluten-free flour, you can use that.
• Yellow ground cornmeal – Use a fine or medium ground cornmeal for the best texture.
• Sugars – I used a combination of dark brown sugar and granulated sugar. I love the molasses-y notes from the brown sugar.
• Baking powder – To help the cornbread rise in the oven.
• Salt – I like adding a little salt to break up the sweetness of the bread.
• Cream-style corn – This is the magical ingredient. It adds plenty of moisture to the cornbread.
• Whole milk – Room temperature. I like using whole milk, but 2% milk would also work.
• Sour cream – Room temperature. The sour cream adds some extra moisture and richness. It has some acid in it, too, which contributes a slight tang and helps make the cornbread nice and tender.
• Butter – At room temperature (or melted). Many cornbread recipes use oil. I went full butter for this one. It makes the cornbread nice and rich. Kerrygold butter is my favorite right now.
• Eggs – Use room temperature eggs if you can. They’ll incorporate more easily into the batter.
• Vanilla extract – For a little extra warmth and depth.
• Honey – How could this be honey butter cornbread without honey? Opt for a quality honey (I like raw honey) for the best flavor. Nothing with added syrups or artificial flavors.

Honey Butter

• Salted butter – Partially melted. Definitely go with salted butter. It breaks up the sweetness of the dish a bit, delivering a richer, more satisfying flavor.
• Honey – Again, select a quality honey.

How to Make Honey Butter Cornbread

This honey butter cornbread comes together pretty easily. Here’s a quick look at how it’s done. For more detailed instructions, please scroll to the recipe card below.

Make the Cornbread

• Prep. Preheat the oven to 375°F and butter a 9×13-inch baking dish.

• Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugars, baking powder, and salt.
• Combine the wet ingredients. Whisk together the milk, melted butter, sour cream, eggs, cream-style corn, vanilla extract, and honey.
• Put it all together. Make a well in the dry ingredients, pour in the wet ingredients, and mix until combined.

• Bake. Pour the batter into the baking dish. Bake for 35-40 minutes* or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

*Don’t forget to baste the bread with honey butter halfway through (see instructions below).

Add the Honey Butter Glaze

• Poke. When the cornbread is done baking, use a toothpick or wooden skewer to poke holes all over the top.
• Finishing touches. Brush the remaining honey butter over the hot cornbread.
• Serve. Serve warm, with extra honey butter on the side if you’d like.

What to Serve With Honey Cornbread

The better question might be “what not to serve with honey cornbread?” I could eat it with everything (or on its own, for that matter). I’m a big fan of serving a fresh-out-of-the-oven batch with Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. It goes so well with my Garlic Butter Turkey, a steaming pile of Mashed Potatoes, Cranberry Sauce, and gravy.

Holidays aside, it’s a fabulous accompaniment for pretty much any soup or stew you can think of. I’ve been loving it with my Zuppa Toscana Soup and this Autumn Squash Soup.

And, as I’ve said before, this buttery, glazed cornbread could pass for a dessert. If you wanted to give it a nudge in that direction, you could try a warm slice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Why not?

Storage

• Countertop/refrigerator: Once cool, seal leftover cornbread in an airtight container. It’ll keep at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Freezer: Seal fully cooled cornbread in a freezer-safe airtight container and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge.
• Reheat: I think honey butter cornbread is best enjoyed warm. To reheat, wrap it in foil and bake at 350°F for 5-10 minutes, or until warm. You can also microwave individual portions for 15-30 seconds.

More Side Dish Recipes

For me, a meal isn’t complete without the perfect side dish (or several). They’re kind of the icing on the cake that makes a main dish worth sitting down to. This cornbread is one of my faves (particularly around the holidays), but I have plenty more where that came from.

My Southern Baked Mac and Cheese is always a winner. So are these Scalloped Potatoes Au Gratin. And if you’re looking for more corn-centric recipes, check out my Crock Pot Creamed Corn and this Southern Cornbread Dressing. Heck, you could even use this cornbread to make the cornbread dressing if you wanted to!