Savory Corn and Pepper Muffins
17 comments » 
This might be a record-breaking week here on Brown Eyed Baker. First Quiche Lorraine Pizza, and now corn and pepper muffins. Two savory recipes in one week… it’s shocking even to me! Don’t worry, tomorrow is all geared up to be a sweet sensation (and perfect for summer), so stay tuned. Now, onto these muffins. Oh, these muffins. They are soft, moist, peppery, a tad spicy and the most perfect of companions for a bowl of chili, tortilla soup, or even a quick breakfast when you are in the mood for something savory. One whiff of the batter and I already wait for them to get in and out of the oven so I could snag a bite. They were only cooling for a few minutes when I finally gave in to temptation and stole my first taste. I was immediately hooked. These are one of the most tender muffins I’ve made in quite awhile and the texture is a great contrast to the peppers and the bite from the chili powder; perfect balance. In other words… spectacular.
Like all fabulous muffin recipes, this is super easy to throw together – it requires very little time and minimal equipment. In less than 15 minutes your muffins will be in the oven and you will only have one, maybe two bowls to wash, along with a whisk, a spatula and a couple of measuring spoons. Easy doesn’t get much… well, easier than that! You can store these at room temperature and they will freeze very well too.
I’m thinking next time I may try folding in a little shredded cheese. Sharp cheddar or pepper jack would be great choices for these muffins. Cheese does make everything better, right?
What’s your favorite savory muffin or scone?
One year ago:Ultimate Ginger Cookies
Savory Corn and Pepper Muffins
Yield: 12 muffins
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons chili powder
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk
¼ cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely diced
¼ red bell pepper, seeded and finely dicedDirections:
1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter or spray the 12 molds in a regular-size muffin pan or fit the molds with paper muffin cups.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, chili powder and black pepper. In a large measuring cup or another bowl, whisk the buttermilk, melted butter and egg yolk together until well blended. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and, with the whisk or a rubber spatula, gently but quickly stir to blend. The batter should be lumpy. Stir in the corn kernels, jalapeño and red pepper. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.
3. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before removing each muffin to finish cooling.
(Recipe adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours
by Dorie Greenspan)
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I’ve always thought savory muffins were under appreciated. Looks delicious
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Just my kind of recipe! And how perfect would these be, as you said, with a bowl of chili when the weather turns a little cooler.
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Oh I love ANY type of corn muffins and I love the addition of peppers!
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I love the pepper combination with the corn. One of my favorite savory scones are ham and cheddar!
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Yum I am always on the lookout for savoury baked goods!! Sharp cheddar sounds like it would be an excellent addition. My favourite savoury baked good – ooo tough question! I really liked these cheddar & black pepper scones (http://www.eatmedelicious.com/2010/02/cheddar-and-black-pepper-scones.html) and these caramelized onion, sage and cheddar muffins (http://www.eatmedelicious.com/2009/01/caramelized-onion-sage-and-cheddar.html).
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Looks delicious and healthy
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Love savory muffins, and I like this combination
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Yum! Toss some cheese on top and you might as well call it breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner for me!
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I am such a fan of savory muffins.
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I am so dying to make all the corn bread and muffins from your site but I just cant seem to find cornmeal out here!!! These look so good.
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looks tasty! i was planning on making some cornbread this week so i just may have to make these instead!
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These muffins look great! I’ve been dreaming up some corn muffins lately… So perfect this time of year!
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These look just delicious. I know what I will be making next time I make chili (I love corn muffins with chili for some reason).
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I use almost the exact same recipe… cheese IS fabulous in these – and so is bacon!
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Wow, these are really awesome. We had chili a while ago and I made these to with dinner. They are colorful, tender, and they are certainly spicy. I was pretty apathetic about cornbread, but from now, I will be making these muffins with chili. I liked how tender they are, but i think that I would add a little bit more buttermilk because the crumble pretty easily.
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Your recipe sounded amazing, and it inspired me to make a healthier version that turned out delicious too. I’m munching on one while I’m writing this
Here are the changes I made:
(1) substituted 1 cup whole meal in place of the cornmeal,
(2) skipped the butter completely and added an extra egg instead. I also increased the buttermilk by a 1/4 cup,
(3) skipped the sugar, adding 1/2 cup each of caramelised onions and green peas to give the muffins sweetness.
The muffins baked perfectly in 20 mins.
This is the first time I’ve made savory muffins, and I cant wait for my husband to try these when he gets home. Thank you for the wonderful recipe and the inspiration. I LOVE your blog!
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Fantastic!!!! Made these beauties yesterday! sooo good and easy too.
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