Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins & Whipped Honey-Maple Cinnamon Butter

With Thanksgiving on the horizon I’m on the hunt for new recipes to compliment our favorite annual staples.   It’s always tenuous to consider dropping a family favorite to try something new but being one who thrives on diversity, I have nothing against mountains of leftovers if it means more options on Thanksgiving.

For a number of years now we have purchased our turkey through our CSA farm, Cure Organic Farm, loving the both the quality of the birds and the circumstances of its raising.  This year we’ve learned many turkey farms are not raising turkeys due to the increased price of feed as an impact of the drought.  One of those ‘connect the dots’ moments one does not think about being a consequence of sweltering summer temps and no rain.

This year we’ll be having a heritage breed Blue Slate turkey from the Eastern Plains of Colorado.  Much like a scene out of Portlandia, we received a full sheet on the breed, what they eat, how they are processed and a bio on the green operation raising the birds using wind turbines for powering the incubators, hatchers, brooders and freezers.  I’ve actually always wanted to try a heritage breed turkey, despite their higher cost, and will leave it to my husband who revels in the cooking research and rituals of Thanksgiving to ‘deliver’ on the main dish.

Other ‘must haves’ are mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce and pies.  Now that our children are old enough to partake in the cooking, everyone in our household contributes to the Thanksgiving feast.  The kids each usually make a pie.  Grasshopper Pie has wiggled its way onto the menu at their choosing, complimented with second more Thanksgiving-friendly choice.

I was recently thumbing through a binder in which I stored tear outs from magazines a few years back intending to try them ‘one day’.  I came upon a Pumpkin Cornbread recipe that caught my attention imagining making it as muffins might be a perfect new addition this year.  Something about that prompted a childhood memory of Whipped Honey Butter, maybe (sadly) even from the school cafeteria since I do not recall ever having that at home.  A key difference I loved about these muffins is that unlike traditional cornbread muffins which can become dry, these have a more moist consistency thanks to the pumpkin puree, sour cream and buttermilk.  After a few iterations of the recipe, and experimentation with a seasonal version of honey butter, I feel sure these will grace our Thanksgiving table and maybe yours too!

What are your Thanksgiving favorites?

Print

Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins & Whipped Honey-Maple Cinnamon Butter

These muffins bear the familiar grainy texture of traditional cornbread, with a light pumpkin flavor and color. Paired with the sweet, seasonal whipped butter and your meal will hearld the flavors of fall!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Author Toni Dash

Ingredients

_For the Muffins:_

• 1 cup Cornmeal
• 1 cup All Purpose Flour (gluten free or regular)
• 1/3 cup granulated Sugar
• 2 tablespoons masa harina (or corn flour)
• 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• ¼ teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 4 tablespoons unsalted Butter , melted
• 1 cup Buttermilk
• 1 8- ounce container of Sour Cream or Crème Fraiche
• 1 Egg , lightly beaten
• ¾ cups Pumpkin Puree

_For the Whipped Butter:_

• ¼ cup unsalted Butter , room temperature
• 6 tablespoons Honey
• 2 tablespoons Maple Syrup
• ¼ teaspoon ground Cinnamon

Instructions

Instructions for the Muffins:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with muffin baking cups.
2. In the bowl of a freestanding mixer (or in a large mixing bowl if using a hand held mixer) combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, masa harina, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Mix on low to fully combine.
3. In a separate large, mixing bowl combine butter, buttermilk, sour cream/crème fraiche, egg and pumpkin puree. Whisk to fully combine.
4. Add the wet ingredients slowly to the dry ingredients, mixing on low to fully combine. Do not over mix.
5. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full and bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan for 15 minutes and then on a cooling rack. Serve slightly warm.

Instructions for the Whipped Butter:

1. Place butter in the bowl of a freestanding mixer (or large bowl if using a handheld mixer). Using the whisk attachment, mix at high speed until the butter is light and fluffy (about 2 minutes).
2. Add the honey, maple syrup and cinnamon. Mix to fully combine.
3. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator until using.

Recipe Notes

Cornbread Muffins adapted from Better Homes and Gardens