Bacon Cheddar Jalapeño Corn Muffins

I bet the title for these tiny little muffins got you salivating.  It should, because these mini mouthfuls pack a delicious punch!

Step aside, dry cornbread that self-destructs into 1,000 teeny tiny crumbs at first bite - helloooo super moist, pretty much bite-sized mini corn muffins. (By the way - I just started to Google "moist synonym" because I know a lot of people hate that word, and the first suggestion that came up for me after I typed the word "moist" was "moist corn bread." How appropriate.)

These tasty mini muffins are small but MIGHTY. They have great texture from the stone ground cornmeal, smokiness from the bacon, great background heat from the jalapeño, and a subtly sharp cheddar flavor. And they're yummy.

I used America's Test Kitchen's recipe for the batter. There is a pretty specific method to combining these ingredients, and you also want to really keep an eye on the time because overcooking will dry them out (which can happen pretty fast since they don't take too long to cook). Follow the recipe and they will come out awesome!

Let's do this thing.

Just a note - I actually used Bob's Red Mill Medium Grind Cornmeal, but the last time I used it I just dumped what was left in the bag into the empty Quaker container because it's easier to measure out of.

In a large mixing bowl, add the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt.

Whisk dry ingredients together, then use a wooden spoon to dig a little hole in the center to make a well and crack the eggs in.

Stir the eggs lightly, add the milk & buttermilk and stir quickly until almost combined. Add the melted butter and stir a little bit more.

Reserve a tiny bit of the bacon, cheddar and jalapeño for garnish (if you want to - totally optional but it makes them really cute!) and quickly fold in the rest!

Scoop into your mini muffin pan and garnish! 

I used a mandoline to super-thinly slice some jalapeños for the garnish - which is definitely optional, but makes them look so pretty!

Bake them up - but keep an eye on them! If you leave them in there too long they will dry out. The tops should be lightly golden brown and they should be just barely pulling away from the sides of the muffin pan, and look like this...

Bacon? Check. Cheese? Check. Jalapeño? Check. Flavor? BIG CHECK. Yummy noises await you!

Print Pin

Bacon Cheddar Jalapeño Corn Muffins

Moist and delicious mini corn muffins loaded with bacon, cheddar cheese and jalapeños.

Yields 24 mini muffins

Author YummyNoises.com

Ingredients

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal , preferably stone-ground
• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• ⅔ cup buttermilk
• ⅔ cup milk
• 2 tablespoon unsalted butter , melted
• 6 slices bacon , cooked and finely diced
• 3 oz cheddar cheese , shredded
• 1 medium jalapeño , finely diced

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Use a wooden spoon to dig a little hole in the center to make a well.
• Crack the eggs into the well and stir lightly, then add the buttermilk and milk. Stir everything together quickly until almost combined, add the melted butter and stir until just combined. Reserve a small amount each of the bacon, cheese and jalapeño for garnish (if desired) and quickly fold in the rest.
• Coat a mini muffin tin with nonstick spray and evenly divide the batter among the cups. Top each mini muffin with a little bit of the reserved bacon, cheese and jalapeño. Bake for 12 minutes, until the tops are lightly golden brown and the edges just start to pull away from the sides of the muffin tin.
• Allow to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, and serve!

Notes

Per mini-muffin (1/24 of recipe): 82 calories, 3g total fat, 2g saturated fat, 374mg sodium, 9g total carbs, 1g fiber, 1g sugar, 4g protein

Adapted from America's Test Kitchen: The New Best Recipe