Jalapeño Cornbread Sticks

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Made in an old-fashioned cast-iron corn stick pan, this jalapeno-studded cornbread will make everyone at the table smile. And if you don't have this particular pan, don't worry. You can use three 12-cup mini muffin pans and make 32 small corn muffins instead.

Jalapeño Cornbread Sticks
Photo: Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Cindy Barr; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer
Active Time:
20 mins
Total Time:
35 mins
Yield:
14 sticks

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

  • 1/2 cup fine yellow cornmeal

  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

  • 3/4 cup thawed frozen corn

  • 1 large jalapeño chile, minced (about 1/4 cup)

  • 2 scallions, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)

  • 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided

  • 2 large eggs

  • 3/4 cup half-and-half

  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

  • 2 1/2 ounces pre-shredded Mexican cheese blend (about 2/3 cup)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Place 2 (7-stick [5 1/2-inch-long]) cast-iron corn stick pans on a rimmed baking sheet. Transfer baking sheet to oven. Preheat 15 minutes.

  2. Meanwhile, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; set aside.

  3. Cook corn, jalapeño, scallions, and 8 tablespoons of the butter in a skillet over medium, stirring often, until mixture is softened, about 3 minutes. Set aside; cool 5 minutes.

  4. Whisk together eggs, half-and-half, and sugar in a bowl. Add to flour mixture, whisking until smooth. Stir in jalapeño mixture and cheese.

  5. Remove hot corn stick pans from oven. Brush molds evenly with remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Divide batter evenly among molds (about 3 tablespoons each). Bake until sticks are puffed and golden brown, 14 to 16 minutes. Serve warm, or turn sticks out onto a wire rack and cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Chef's Notes

Make Mini Jalapeño Cornbread Muffins:

Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat 3 (12-cup) mini muffin pans with cooking spray; set aside. Proceed with Steps 2 through 4 as directed. For Step 5, divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin pans (about 2 tablespoons each), filling 32 cavities. Working in 2 batches, bake until a wooden pick inserted in centers of muffins comes out clean, about 12 minutes. Serve warm, or remove from pans and cool completely on a wire rack, approximately 30 minutes.
(Makes about 32 muffins)

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