Bring bold, savory flavor to your table with these Cheesy Jalapeño Cornbread Sticks! Made with extra sharp cheddar, diced jalapeños, and a classic Southern-style cornbread batter, these golden sticks bake up crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
Perfectly sized for dipping and serving, they’re a natural companion to hearty meals like soups, stews, and Tex-Mex favorites—including my One-Pot Chicken Fajita Rice!
Watch How to Make These Amazing Cornbread Sticks
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Ingredients - Here's What You'll Need
Simple ingredients for an awesome taste!
- Wet Ingredients: For the wet ingredients, I used melted unsalted butter, buttermilk, and an egg. I brushed the cornstick pan with vegetable oil.
- Dry Ingredients: The dry ingredients included yellow cornmeal, all-purpose flour, Kosher salt, baking soda, and cayenne pepper.
- Cheesy Jalapeño Kick: Extra sharp cheddar cheese, and diced jalapeños provided the savory kick to these delicious cornbread sticks.
Making the Batter - Step-by-Step
- I started by whisking together melted butter, buttermilk, and an egg in a 2-cup measuring cup.
- Next, I whisked together the cornmeal, flour, salt, baking soda, and cayenne pepper in a large mixing bowl.
- I added the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring them together with a wooden spoon just until combined.
- Once the basic cornbread stick batter was ready, I added the shredded cheddar cheese and diced jalapeños. I stirred the mixture until everything was combined.
Finishing the Cheesy Jalapeño Cornbread Sticks
- Once the batter was ready, I placed the cast iron cornstick pan in a preheated 450°F oven for five minutes. After five minutes, I carefully removed the hot pan and brushed each of the cornstick cavities with vegetable oil.
- Then, I used a jumbo cookie scoop to add the batter to the cornstick pan. I didn't worry about smoothing out the batter because I knew that the heat from the oven would take care of that.
- I place the cornstick pan in a preheated 450°F oven for 18 minutes. After 18 minutes, the cornsticks were golden brown and perfectly cooked. I removed the pan from the oven and let the pan sit on a wire rack for five minutes before removing the cornsticks from the pan. I repeated this with the remaining cornstick batter.
I ended up with 14 delicious cornbread sticks that are proof that simple ingredients can create something truly special.
With their crispy exterior, cheesy, tender interior, and subtle jalapeño kick, these cornbread sticks are the perfect side for cozy dinners, cookouts, or festive Cinco de Mayo meals.
Whether you serve them with Tex-Mex favorites, a hearty bowl of soup, or enjoy them on their own, these cornbread sticks are guaranteed to disappear fast. Yum!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You can bake the batter in a mini muffin pan or a traditional cast iron skillet. Adjust baking time as needed.
Removing the jalapeño seeds and membrane before dicing them keeps the flavor mild. If you would like more heat, leave some seeds in or add extra jalapeños.
Freshly grated cheddar cheese melts better and gives a creamier texture to the cornbread sticks. However, in a pinch, pre-shredded cheese works.
If stored in an airtight container, these cornbread sticks will stay fresh for up to three days. They can also be frozen. I like to reheat them in a preheated 350°F oven until they are warmed through.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Preheat your cast iron pan: Adding the batter to a hot cast iron pan guarantees the crispy golden edges everyone loves.
- Use extra-sharp cheddar cheese: Extra-sharp cheddar cheese delivers the best flavor in these cornbread sticks. However, in a pinch, you can also use sharp or mild cheddar cheese.
- Ziploc bag for storage: I generally use a gallon freezer Ziploc bag to store the leftover cornsticks.
- Brush with melted butter: For an even richer flavor, I sometimes brush the cornsticks with melted butter after baking.
- Sweet-spicy contrast: For a delicious sweet-spicy contrast, dip the warm Cheesy Jalapeño Cornbread Sticks in honey butter.
Perfect Pairings
These Cheesy Jalapeño Cornbread Sticks paired perfectly with a number of dishes.
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Cheesy Jalapeño Cornbread Sticks
Equipment
- Cash Iron Cornbread Stick Pan
- Jumbo cookie scoop
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (2 ounces, ½ stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup (8 ounces) buttermilk, room temperature (See Tip 1)
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 cup (5.5 ounces) yellow cornmeal
- ½ cup (2.5 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¾ cup (3 ounces) shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 finely diced medium to large jalapeño, membrane and seeds removed for mild
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil for the pan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Combine melted butter, buttermilk, and egg in a 2-cup measuring cup. Set aside. (See Tip 2)
- Whisk together cornmeal, flour, salt, baking soda, and cayenne pepper in a medium bowl. Add butter/buttermilk/egg mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon just until combined. Do not overmix.
- Add the shredded cheese and diced jalapeños; stir to combine.
- Heat the cast iron cornstick pan in 450°F oven for 5 minutes or until hot. Remove from the oven; brush lightly with vegetable oil. Add the batter evenly to the hot pan using a jumbo cookie scoop. (See Tips 3 and 4)
- Bake at 450°F for 18 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven; cool 5 minutes on a wire rack. Remove cornbread sticks from the pan.
- Repeat with the remaining batter.
- Yield: 14 cornbread sticks. (See Tip 5)
Video
Tips/Notes
- If you don’t have buttermilk, make your own. Add one tablespoon of fresh lemon juice or distilled white vinegar to a measuring cup. Then add enough milk to reach the 1 cup level. Allow the mixture to sit for five minutes.
- The melted butter starts to solidify when cold buttermilk is added to it. Therefore, it's best to use room-temperature buttermilk. However, if you use cold buttermilk, heat the butter/buttermilk mixture in the microwave for about 45 seconds before adding the egg. This warms the mixture enough so that the butter is still liquid but not so much that the egg cooks when added to it.
- If you don’t have a cornstick pan, use a well-greased regular muffin pan.
- I use a jumbo cookie scoop to measure out the batter. It holds approximately 2 tablespoons of batter and is equivalent to a number 30 commercial scoop. You could also use a spoon.
- Reheat leftovers for about 5 minutes in a 350°F oven.
Nancy & Dennis Blazon says
I haven't made this yet. It looks so good. I don't like sugar in my cornbread. If recipe calls for sugar, I am immediately done with it. No sugar in yours, yeah. A big old pot of pinto beans and this cornbread, sounds like gourmet to me.
Thanks for this girls!!!
Chula King says
They are good with a subtle jalapeño flavor and easy to make. Yum to a big old pot of pinto beans and these cornsticks!
Chula