Creamy Corn Muffins

It's really fall. I've tried pretending it isn't, ignored it as long as I could.  With the leaves falling all around me, I've pretty much given up hope that summer will return.  Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful time of year, with the bright colors on the trees lighting up the yard.  I just wish it would last just a little longer before the trees are bare for what seems an eternity.

This is the weather when my thoughts turn squirrel-like and I feel compelled to store fat and eat warm, cozy meals like chili, soup, slow-roasted meats and roasted cruciferous veggies to make it through the cold ahead. So, that's exactly what I did this past weekend.  I made a big pot of chili and these amazing corn muffins that I saw on a recent post by Steve Dunn at Oui Chef.  They were so moist and delicious, I was struggling not to eat them all before dinner. 

These do have some ingredients that aren't good on a daily basis, but we'll keep them for special occasions, like when we're really missing summer. Then, we'll grab a rake and burn off those calories.

Creamy Corn Muffins 

Adapted from Oui Chef who adapted it from Piece of Cake cookbook

Printable Recipe

Yields 12 (My batch made a few more so I needed 2 muffin tins)

Note:  Mr. Dunn has reduced the amount of cream and sugar from the original recipe. I'd like to try them with fat free half and half next time I make them. 

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal (I only had Bob's Red Mill Coarse grind at home so I pulverized it in my coffee/spice grinder to a finer texture)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 3/4 cup heavy cream
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
1 heaping cup cooked corn kernels, pureed (thawed, if frozen)

Preheat oven to 350℉.  pray a 12 muffin pan with no stick spray.  I like Baker's Joy.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Place the whole fresh or thawed, frozen corn kernels (I did not precook the corn) in a food processor and puree until nice and smooth, about 1 minute, using some of the cream to help process.

Whisk the cream and eggs together.  Gently fold in the egg mixture and melted butter into the dry ingredients and mix just until there are no lumps left in the batter. Mix in the corn puree and spoon into muffin cups to about 2/3 full.

Bake about 20-25 minutes or until the muffins are puffed and light gold - a tester placed into the center of a muffin should come out clean.

Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then remove to a rack to cool completely.  Gently reheat in a low oven for about 5 minutes if not using immediately. 

Store left-over muffins in a plastic bag in the frig and reheat in the oven before serving. 

Blue and Yellow Corn Muffins and A Winner!

 Chili and cornbread or corn muffins are one of those classic combination of flavors that compliment each other perfectly, just like milk and cookies.  I saw these beautiful blue and yellow corn muffins posted at food blog, My Year on the Grill. I love blue corn tortilla chips so the idea of adding blue cornmeal to corn muffins sounded great to me!  I also loved how they looked baked together so I have to admit that the 'cute factor' played a big role in trying these also.

Luckily, I was able to find blue corn meal at my local grocery store (I used Bob's Red Mill brand).  The yellow corn and blue corn batters are mixed separately and a scoop of each batter are simultaneously poured into each muffin cup. This requires a little dexterity but wasn't too difficult.  I just grabbed a heaping tablespoon of batter in each hand and plopped it in, adding more if necessary. You could probably use two 1/4 cup measuring cups also.

I then tapped the pan gently on the kitchen counter to even out the level of the batters.

Although these are very good, I found them a drier than other cornbread I've made.  Next time, I think I'll find a way to add additional moisture to the recipe such as adding some plain yogurt or using creamed corn instead of corn kernels.  These would be fun to serve for a football party along with your favorite chili!

Blue and Yellow Corn Muffins Adapted from Mesa Grill's Blue and Yellow Corn Muffins found Here
You can find A Year on The Grill's version Here
Printable Recipe

Note: My recipe differs slightly from the original in that I also sauteed the red pepper, chilies and corn before adding to the batter.

6 Tbs unsalted butter
½ cup finely diced red onion
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1-1/3 cups whole milk (I might try Greek yogurt next time)
4 large eggs
2 Tbs honey
½ cup finely diced red bell pepper
2 jalapeno chiles, finely diced
1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
2 Tbs finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup blue cornmeal
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1⅓ cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbs baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
4 tsp kosher salt

Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Divide the mixture evenly between 2 large bowls. Return the pan to the heat and add the red pepper, jalapeno and corn. Saute for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add half to each of the bowls containing the onion mixture.

In another large bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, honey and cilantro. Pour the mixture into a measuring cup and add half of the mixture to each of the large bowls containing the onion and pepper mixture.

Put the blue cornmeal and yellow cornmeal in 2 separate bowls. To each bowl, add ⅔ cups flour, 1½ teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, and 2 teaspoons salt. Mix each cornmeal mixture into a bowl with the liquid mixture.

Pour an equal amount of each batter side by side into each muffin cup and bake for about 16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out with a few moist crumbs on it. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then remove to a cooking rack. The batters can be made up to 1 day in advance and refrigerated.

My Notes: These are best eaten soon after baking as they are best when warm.