jalapeño sweet corn muffins

So we had a snow storm. Yes, another snow storm. I love me some winter, but I think I've officially hit my limit. I want to walk outside without my toes going numb. I want to drive somewhere in my car without first scraping off layers of ice. I want to wear less than three layers sometimes. I'm daydreaming of sundresses and sunshine and mojitos on a deck somewhere. (sigh)

The one redeeming feature of the cold weather? Cold weather = soup weather! As soon as I got wind of our impending winter storm, I immediately put a batch of this to simmer on the stove. I've made this soup so many times now and it never gets old. It's the perfect balance of healthy and hearty.

And what goes better with soup than bread? Answer: nothing! Cornbread is my go-to bread. It's quick. I always have the ingredients on hand. And it's stinking delicious. I typically go for a sweeter cornbread, but switched it up this time, making a more savory version full of green onions and jalapeños.

I may or may not have been ridiculed as I painstakingly placed a perfect jalapeño slice on top of each of these corn muffins. Whatevs. Haters gonna hate.

Note: Please excuse the awful photo. I'll do better in the future.

jalapeño sweet corn muffins

ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup fine ground cornmeal
3 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg
3/4 cup milk (or buttermilk)
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3/4 cup fresh corn kernels (or frozen, defrosted)
2 green onions, chopped
2 jalapeños, 1 chopped and 1 sliced

directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a muffin tin with nonstick spray or put cupcake liners in each well. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine butter, egg and milk. Add dry mixture to wet mixture, mixing just until combined. Gently stir in shredded cheese, corn, green onions and the chopped jalapeño. Fill muffin tins 3/4 full. Top each muffin with a jalapeño slice.

Bake for 14-16 minutes. Muffins are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes back clean.

Serve warm with butter and honey, or dunked in your soup.

Yield: 12 Muffins
Source: The Novice Chef Blog