These quick and easy mini cornbread muffins are soft, moist, and absolutely delicious! Made in just one bowl with buttermilk, corn, and dill, this honey cornbread muffin recipe has the best texture and exceptional flavor. Spread a bit of honey butter on the still-warm muffins and you're in for a real treat!
It's not often that a restaurant's bread basket is so interesting that I race home to try to recreate a bread that I've tried, but that's exactly how this cornbread mini muffin recipe came to be.
These mini muffins were inspired by honey cornbread muffins with dill that my husband and I enjoyed at the now closed Spoon restaurant in Pittsburgh in 2015. The dill is optional, but if you love dill like I do, you're going to absolutely love this slightly unexpected flavor pairing!
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Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
See recipe card at the bottom of this post for full ingredient list and measurements.
Cornmeal - Cornmeal, made of dried and ground corn, is the key ingredient that gives cornbread its corn flavor and yellow color. It can be found near the flour in the baking aisle at your local grocery store.
All-Purpose Flour - Cornmeal alone creates a bread that's very dry and crumbly, so we'll use it in conjunction with flour to create a cornbread that is soft and moist.
Buttermilk - Buttermilk adds richness and moisture to the batter. You can substitute an equal measure of whole milk, but I find the muffins to be a bit more soft and moist when made with buttermilk.
Vegetable Oil - Vegetable oil adds necessary moisture and fat to the batter. You can substitute an equal measure of canola oil or refined avocado oil, if you prefer.
Honey - Honey adds a subtle hint of sweetness that balances the corn flavor.
Whole Kernel Corn - Adding a bit of whole kernel corn (I used canned) to the batter adds extra flavor and moisture to the muffins. It's optional, but I always add.
Fresh Dill - This ingredient is definitely optional, but it's definitely worth a try. Fresh dill adds a unique flavor - and attractive green specks - to the cornbread muffins.
Special Equipment
In addition to essential baking equipment (like a mixing bowl and spatula), I recommend some special tools for making this recipe.
- Mini muffin pan, for baking the muffins.
- Small cookie scoop or Tablespoon measuring spoon, for scooping the muffin batter into the pan.
Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
See recipe card at the bottom of this post for detailed recipe instructions.
Step 1: Whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt.
Step 2: Add the buttermilk, vegetable oil, honey, and egg and stir until nearly combined.
Step 3: Add the corn kernels and dill to the bowl and stir just until well blended.
Step 4: Spray a mini muffin pan with cooking spray. Spoon the batter into the muffin pan so that each well is ¾ full.
Step 5: Bake the muffins at 400°F for 10 minutes, or until the tops are puffed and golden brown.
Allison's Top Tips
Do not to over mix the batter, which could lead to dense or gummy muffins.
Be very careful not to over bake the muffins, since they can dry out quickly.
Cornbread muffins are best the day they're made, though they will keep for a few days if stored properly (see Storage Instructions below). If possible, bake the muffins the day you plan to enjoy them.
Honey Butter for Cornbread Muffins
Want to really take these cornbread muffins to the next level? Pair them with a smear of homemade honey butter! The salty sweetness of the honey butter complements the cornbread beautifully.
To make honey butter, combine softened (not melted) butter with a bit of honey and salt using the tines of a fork until smooth and spreadable. You can find the ingredient measurements that I used in the recipe card below. It's best to use the honey butter when it's room temperature, and it can be stored in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to a month.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Paper liners are not necessary for baking cornbread muffins. Just be sure to grease the wells of your muffin pan well with cooking spray before filling the pan with batter and baking.
Cornmeal creates a very dry and crumbly batter, so it's important to use it in conjunction with all-purpose flour and add enough moisture (like buttermilk and vegetable oil) to the batter. Also be careful not to over bake the cornbread, since this will quickly dry it out.
Cornbread has a tendency to be dry, so oil is a better choice of fat than butter when baking cornbread since it creates a batter that is more moist and tender.
Cornbread batter should be fairly thick, though it should still be pourable.
Storage Instructions
Room Temperature: Store completely cooled cornbread muffins at room temperature in a sealed (but not airtight) container on the counter. I use a plastic bread box, which allows a bit of air around the bread to keep it from becoming overly moist but not so much air that the bread dries out. If you don't own a bread box you could also put them in a food storage container and simply place the lid on top without sealing the lid on.
Freezing: Cornbread muffins can be frozen, sealed in an airtight container, for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature before enjoying.
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Recipe
Mini Cornbread Muffins with Honey & Dill
Special Equipment
- 1 Mini muffin pan
Ingredients
Mini Cornbread Muffins
- 1 cup (159 grams) cornmeal
- 1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon (12 grams) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (6 grams) fine sea salt
- 1 cup (240 grams) buttermilk, room temperature
- ⅓ cup (73 grams) vegetable oil
- ¼ cup (85 grams) honey
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- ½ cup (75 grams) whole kernel corn (optional)
- 1 ½ Tablespoons (0.5 grams) finely chopped fresh dill (optional)
Honey Butter (optional)
- ½ cup (114 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 3 Tablespoons (63 grams) honey
- ¼ teaspoon (1.5 grams) fine sea salt
Instructions
Mini Cornbread Muffins
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a mini muffin pan with cooking spray (or line with paper liners) and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Add the buttermilk, vegetable oil, honey, and egg to the bowl and stir until nearly combined.
- Add the corn kernels and dill to the bowl and stir until the batter is fully moistened and the add-ins are well distributed throughout the batter, being careful not to over mix the batter.
- Spoon the batter into the muffin pan so that each well is ¾ full. A small cookie scoop or 1 Tablespoon measuring spoon are great for scooping the muffin batter.
- Bake the muffins for 10 minutes, or until the tops are puffed and golden brown. Let the muffins cool slightly before eating and let them cool completely before storing.
Honey Butter
- Add all three ingredients to a medium mixing bowl and combine using the tines of a fork.
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