As a Southerner, I’ve made and eaten a lot of cornbread. This recipe for corn bread muffins is my favorite. Adding a can of creamed corn to the cornbread batter adds more corn flavor and texture.

I prefer savory over sweet cornbread, so I don’t add much sugar to my cornbread, just 1 tablespoon. Add up to 1/4 cup sugar if you identify with sweet cornbread. If you live in the South, you might have a jar or can of reserved bacon grease dripping. If you like a savory corn bread, now is the time to dip into your drippings reserves. I also enhance the savory profile by adding garlic powder (omit if you’re aiming for a sweet cornbread).

Most people slather butter on their cornbread muffins when coming out of the oven. I love butter, but I really enjoy a few shakes of hot sauce on my cornbread. I always have leftover muffins when making this recipe, but your warming method is important. Reheating your leftover corn muffins in a microwave is a huge mistake. The microwave ruins the cornbread texture by making it gummy. I recommend toasting halves of a corn bread muffin or slowly reheating the muffins in an oven at 250F for a crisp warm muffin.