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Cheesy Jalapeno Cornbread!


This "Cheesy Jalapeno Cornbread" is so good with all of the various soups and stews we tend to make more when the weather turns cooler.  It's also really good with the dried beans we eat a lot of in this part of the country.   I have quite a few good recipes for this type of cornbread, but I think this one is one of my favorites.  I have tweaked this one here and there and to be honest, I have not posted it before because every time I made it, it just was not very pretty.  No matter how good I know it is, if it doesn't look good, you all do not want to make it.  That is just the nature of what I do. 

This cornbread is fairly dense and so it has to bake for quite a while so it's done in the middle.  However, when you cook it for the time required at the temperature most recipes call for, it rises up and cracks on the top from the middle out and by the time I get it out of the oven it's just ugly and certainly not photogenic.  It also gets too brown at a high temp for the whole hour.
So I remembered something my mother has always told me and that is if you want something to rise up in the middle high, like cupcakes, bake on a higher temperature, but if you do not want something to rise up high in the middle too fast, bake on a lower temperature.   This is why I bake this at 350 degrees for the first 30 minutes and at 375 for the last 30 minutes and it worked perfectly and came out ready for it's picture to be taken!    

Here is what you need for this cornbread:

1 cup self rising cornmeal
1/2 cup self rising flour
1 cup buttermilk
3 eggs
1 cup cream style corn ( or 1 small can)
1/4 cup jalapeno pepper rings, diced (the pickled type)
1/4 cup green or red bell pepper, diced fine ( I use red for the color)
1/3 cup oil, divided
1 cup Mexican cheese blend, shredded ( can use just cheddar)

***If you cannot buy the self rising cornmeal and flour in your area, add 1 tsp, baking powder, 1 tsp. baking soda and 1/2 tsp. salt to all purpose.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Pour all but 2 Tbs. of the oil in an 8 inch iron skillet or an 8 inch baking pan.  Place in the oven to get hot while you mix the batter.

Mix together cornmeal, flour, buttermilk, eggs, corn, peppers and 2 Tbs. of the oil until well blended.


Carefully remove the skillet or pan from the oven when it's hot and slowly pour half of the batter in the skillet.  That oil should be screaming hot, so be really careful and get the kids and the pets back out of the way!  Nothing can burn you like hot grease popping in an iron skillet.   See how the oil comes up and over the batter, that's a good thing and why we didn't add much to the batter itself!
 

Sprinkle evenly with the cup of cheese!


Pour the rest of the batter over the cheese.  Reduce the oven heat to 350 degrees and bake for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes turn the oven back to 375 degrees and bake for 30 more minutes.  A pick or sharp knife inserted in the center should come out clean when it's done.


You can turn this out onto a plate to serve or...


Leave it in the skillet and cut it from there!   Either way, be careful that skillet is hot!


Enjoy!





10 comments:

  1. I don't understand the need for flour since self-rising cornmeal mix already has flour in it. I make Mexican cornbread all the time and have never added flour.

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  2. The recipe calls for cornmeal not cornmeal mix, but even if you use the cornmeal mix, it has very little flour in it... not enough to give the consistency we like in cornbread. We always add flour to cornbread batter. Try it, I think you will like it also.

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  3. I made this but it didn't rise like your picture. I used the freshest ingredients. I did not deviate from the recipe. Any ideas?

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    1. If you used self rising flour and cornmeal and you had your oven preheated to the correct temp, I have no idea. Your oven might not be heating to the correct temperature would be the only reason I can think of.

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    2. I have never put flour in my cornbread and just used the mix, and I have never had any complaints about my cornbread. Also, if you are having trouble with your cornbread rising, you may want to check the date on the ingredients or if it was over mixed it can cause your cornbread not to rise.

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  4. I always add a little flour to my cornbread. I usually don't measure the corn meal or flour. Just add and it always comes out great. I use 2 eggs and do heat the oil in my cast iron skillet, also I pour some hot oil in the batter and stir really well before I pour the batter in the skillet. I will try your recipe for the Cheesy Jalepeno Cornbread, sounds yummy!

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  5. This is THE most delicious cornbread recipe I have ever made! I found this site by accident while browsing one day several months ago. I was making a large pot of chili, and while it was simmering, I browsed for variations of cornbread recipe. I had all the ingredients on hand, it was snowing outside, so the thought of baking something appealed to me. It is simply amazing, if you love cornbread with chili. The creamed corn, cheddar cheese, and extra eggs make for a dense "cakey" texture (which my family always requests as opposed to crumbly and dry), while the jalapeno peppers and red bell peppers add the kick of flavor along with beautiful color. I have made this recipe half a dozen times for my family since finding it. Yesterday I took a huge 18x24 pan of it to a gathering. It was picture perfect! I made a little "sign" that said "Cheesy Jalapeno Cornbread" and stuck it into the finished product, which I served still in that baking pan. Did not want people to be unpleasantly surprised by the spicy nature. They devoured it! BTW, it freezes wonderfully. I cool the pan of cornbread thoroughly, then wrap it tightly in foil and pop it in the freezer. When I am ready for it, I let it thaw on the counter for a few hours. After slicing, I microwave some pieces, or also warm the whole pan in the oven for 30 minutes on low heat. You would never guess it had been frozen. A tasty and popular addition to my recipe collection!

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    Replies
    1. I loved reading this, Karen! I am so happy you all enjoyed the recipe so much. It's what keeps me going! :)

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  6. We brown bulk sausage and put it in the bottom of our cast iron skillet, then we pour this cheese jalapeno cornbread over the sausage and bake. Serve with a side of greens and call it supper.

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