Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 125 g all-purpose flour
- 120 g yellow cornmeal
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 12 g baking powder
- 3 g kosher salt
Wet Ingredients
- 240 ml whole milk, room temperature
- 55 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 60 ml vegetable oil
- 2 eggs, room temperature
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 219 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbohydrates
- 28 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 10 g
- Sodium
- 230 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 4 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 0 g
- Cholesterol
- 43 mg
- Potassium
- 79 mg
- Calcium
- 90 mg
- Iron
- 1.1 mg
- Magnesium
- 31 mg
- Phosphorus
- 116 mg
- Zinc
- 0.6 mg
- Vitamin A
- 56 mcg
- Vitamin D
- 0.4 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.2 mg
- Vitamin K
- 0 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.0 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.2 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.03 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.08 mg
- Niacin
- 0.2 mg
- Folate
- 8 mcg
- Water
- 26 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F) and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease it well.
In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly whisk together the all-purpose flour, cornmeal, granulated sugar, baking powder, and kosher salt.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk the whole milk, melted butter, vegetable oil, and eggs until smooth and thoroughly emulsified.
Pour the wet ingredients into the center of the dry ingredients and gently fold with a rubber spatula just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Lumps are perfectly fine.
Divide the batter evenly among the 12 prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full.
Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 15 to 18 minutes. The muffins are done when the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Chef's Notes
- Combining both butter and oil provides the perfect balance: butter contributes undeniable rich flavor, while oil coats the flour proteins to ensure the crumb stays moist and tender for days.
- If you prefer a savory muffin, reduce the sugar to 30g and consider folding in 50g of grated cheddar cheese and a diced jalapeño before baking.
- For maximum rise, let your batter sit for 10 minutes at room temperature before scooping it into the tin. This allows the baking powder to activate fully and the cornmeal to hydrate.
Storage
Refrigerator: 1 week — Store in an airtight container. Refrigeration may dry them out slightly faster than room temperature.
Freezer: 3 months — Wrap individually in plastic wrap, then place in a zip-top freezer bag.
Reheating: Microwave for 15 to 20 seconds, or wrap in foil and warm in a 150C/300F oven for 10 minutes.
Troubleshooting
Muffins are dense, tough, or have peaked tops
Cause: Overmixing the batter developed too much gluten in the all-purpose flour
Fix: Cannot be fixed once baked. Serve warm with plenty of butter to mask the texture.
Prevention: Fold the wet and dry ingredients gently, stopping as soon as no dry flour pockets remain. 10 to 12 strokes is usually enough.
Muffins are overly crumbly and fall apart easily
Cause: The batter lacked sufficient fat or moisture, or a very coarse cornmeal was used without adequate hydration
Fix: Cannot be fixed once baked. Crumbly muffins are excellent crumbled over chili.
Prevention: Ensure proper measurement of wet ingredients. If using coarse stone-ground cornmeal, let the batter rest for 10 minutes before baking to hydrate the grains.
Cultural Context
Cornmeal has deep roots in Indigenous American agriculture, where maize was cultivated and ground into coarse meal. Southern-style cornbread traditionally uses very little sugar and is baked in cast iron, while Northern-style corn muffins, like this recipe, incorporate more sugar, wheat flour, and milk to create a cake-like, tender crumb.
