This Knock Your Socks Off Cornbread isn’t loaded with corn, bacon, jalapenos, or anything fancy…. but it still will knock your socks off!! Fluffy, flavorful, and perfectly sweetened!
A few years ago, I made cornbread for my family and used my go to box of Jiffy. I had never made homemade cornbread because the boxed mix was simple, inexpensive, and a favorite of mine. When my hubby casually mentioned his love for sweet cornbread, I decided to experiment with ingredients and set out to make his favorite version myself.
If you look through the blog, you will find lots of recipes, all equally delicious…. but this one is the ultimate winner in my family!! It is definitely sweet, so if you prefer a more classic cornbread, be sure to check out the links below for different variations!
This easy recipe for homemade cornbread is made entirely from scratch! The cornbread bakes up light, fluffy, moist, & sweet, with golden brown edges that are deliciously crispy.
Have you ever scrolled through Pinterest and checked out all the recipes claiming their cornbread to be the best? Well, over the years with all my trials and errors, I have learned that there are SO MANY variations, all great, but all based on the tastes of the person that made the recipe!
My hubby prefers a sweet cornbread; however, I love a loaded cornbread with my meals! Both are great options, just depending on the preferences of the person, the meal it is served with, etc.
Ingredients needed for this Knock Your Socks Off Cornbread
- Eggs- you’ll want to separate the yolk and whites as you’ll need to beat the whites until stiff peaks form
- Milk- any type works, I use what I have on hand, which is 2%
- Vanilla Extract
- Butter- melted and slightly cooled from being heated
- Cornmeal
- Flour- all purpose
- Sugar- you are in control of the amount used. Feel free to decrease or increase depending on how sweet you want it. I use 1 cup; however, you can increase up to 1 ½ cups, or decrease to ½ cup
- Baking Powder- make sure its fresh otherwise the bread won’t rise as much
- Salt
How to make cornbread from scratch
This super easy recipe is perfect for anyone, no matter the skill level you have in the kitchen!
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9×13 baking pan.
- In a medium bowl, combine the eggs yolks, milk, vanilla extract, and melted butter. Stir until combined.
- Add in the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir until just combined.
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
- Fold into cornmeal mixture and stir until just combined.
- Pour batter into prepared 9 x 13 baking pan.
- Bake for 26-28 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool about 5 minutes before slicing and serving!!
ADD-INS for this Knock Your Socks off Cornbread
Most of the time, I keep this plain and simple, no add in’s required. However, you can add some fun ingredients to this to really enhance the flavors!
Add in some canned (or fresh off the cob) corn kernels when mixing together!
Cook up some bacon and crumble it into the mix prior to baking!
Add in some diced jalapenos for an added kick!
Add a few handfuls of shredded cheddar cheese for a tasty, cheesy addition to this cornbread!
Frequently Asked Questions
How long will this cornbread last? Keep this bread covered or sliced and placed into a Ziploc bag. It will last about 5 days at room temperature, or 7 days refrigerated. If freezing, you can freeze for up to 3 months.
How do I reheat this bread? Simply place in the microwave for about 20 seconds to reheat. You can also wrap this in aluminum foil and place on the bottom rack of your oven. 250 degrees for about 5-10 minutes.
Can I make this into muffins? Absolutely! Simply prepare the batter as directed and place into prepared muffin tins versus a pan. The cook time will decrease, so be sure to keep an eye on it.
Check out these other great cornbread recipes
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Knock Your Socks Off Cornbread
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 eggs (yolks and whites separated)
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup melted butter
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9×13 baking pan.
- In a medium bowl, combine the eggs yolks, milk, vanilla extract, and melted butter. Stir until combined.
- Add in the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir until just combined.
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
- Fold into cornmeal mixture and stir until just combined.
- Pour batter into prepared 9 x 13 baking pan.
- Bake for 26-28 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool about 5 minutes before slicing and serving!!
Nutrition
Reannen says
Can these be made in muffin tins?
Kristin says
I have never tried that, but I don’t see why that wouldn’t work! Let me know if you try it!
Jeanine says
Ok smells amazing and I’m waiting to dig in but the time required is not cooking it enough. I’m adding my second round of 7 min- the center is still very doughy. Have I done something wrong or could it be my oven needs to be recalibrated.
Kristin says
Hmmm, are you at a high altitude? Every oven is different, so it may not be your oven needing to be recalibrated. How long did it end up taking to be finished??
Shen says
Will try this soon…if i want to put cream style corn how much can i put?
Kristin says
I’d say a can would work great! Perhaps start with half a can and check out consistency before adding the remainder! Enjoy!
Tonnya says
This is the best cornbread ever!
Kristin says
Yea, glad you enjoy it!
Tonya says
How many Calories does it have and hope of it is Saturated and Fat???? Please Reply
Thanks Tonya
Kristin says
Hi! Here is the requested info per serving! 8 servings total in this recipe!
Calories
344.7
Total Fat
8.8 g
Saturated Fat
4.7 g
Polyunsaturated Fat
0.8 g
Monounsaturated Fat
2.7 g
Cholesterol
109.0 mg
Sodium
659.1 mg
Potassium
141.7 mg
Total Carbohydrate
61.4 g
Dietary Fiber
2.1 g
Sugars
26.8 g
Protein
6.7 g
Carole says
Wow! this is hands down the best cornbread my family has tasted. It didn’t last long. It took just a little more time to fix but well worth it.
Kristin says
So glad you all enjoyed it! Definitely a keeper with my family!
Juju says
Sorry but, this is not cornbread. This is corncake! JMO. I am from the South but my mother never put sugar in her cornbread
Kristin says
Very true! I have several versions on my blog! Just go to the search button on the homepage and type in cornbread. Several non-sweetened versions should appear! Enjoy!
Yayazplace says
Can I use baking soda instead?
Kristin says
Here is the conversion: If you want to create the equivalent of 1 teaspoon of baking powder out of baking soda, mix together ¼ teaspoon baking soda with ½ teaspoon cream of tartar and ¼ teaspoon cornstarch. If you want to use baking powder instead of baking soda, simply use three times as much baking powder as the amount of the soda called for in the recipe.
Linda moore says
Can you freeze cornbread? .
Kristin says
Yep, it freezes well for about 2-3 months!
Kris says
Going to try this today. Only change I’m going to make is more cornmeal and little less sugar. Everything else will stay the same.
Kristin says
Yea! How did it turn out?? Hope you enjoyed it!
Renee says
Do I have to beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form or can I just throw the whole egg in without all the fuss? Thanks in advance for a reply.
Kristin says
You need to beat the egg whites unfortunately. I tried omitting that step once and it was flat and not nearly as fluffy/moist.
Karen says
I just made this cornbread tonight to go with our chili. My husband and all my boys love it!!! It was nice a moist, the way we like it. We do not like it dry like a lot of cornbread is. It is a little sweet, but that was okay. Thumbs up for this recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Kristin says
Yea!! Glad you all enjoyed it!
Tangie says
Do you use all-purpose flour or self-rising flour?
Kristin says
All purpose flour!! Enjoy!
Cory says
Does it all have to be eaten right away? Does it dry out quickly?
Kristin says
Surprisingly it stays moist for several days. My family had this over the course of about 3 days and it never dried out or began to get crumbly. I would say you could stretch to 4 days….but wouldn’t go longer due to it no longer being fresh 🙂
Baltisraul says
This was very good but different than tradition Southern cornbread. I used 1 1/2 cups of cornmeal and 1 1/2 cups of flour to give a more traditional taste.
Kristin says
Great change, I will have to try that next time! Glad you enjoyed it!