Cheesy Jalapeño Cornbread Sticks
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 crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.
Servings: 14 Cornbread Sticks
Calories: 134kcal
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
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.
Nutrition
Calories: 134kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 256mg | Potassium: 80mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 205IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 1mg
