Gluten Free Honey Cornbread Muffins

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Simple ingredients, minutes to make the batter, easily gluten free - yes, this gluten free cornbread recipe is a winner! Some highlights include:

• Just sweet enough - I don't know how you feel about cornbread, but I do like it to have a touch of sweetness. The combination of sugar and honey in this recipe makes the muffins beautifully sweet, but not sweet enough to taste like a dessert, if you know what I mean.
• Beautiful texture - The overall texture of these honey cornbread muffins is tender and light, but you'll have just a little bit of contrast from the cornmeal to save them from being bland.
• So versatile - Dress up gluten free honey cornbread muffins with salted butter and more honey, tuck them into a big pan of gluten free stuffing, or even use them in dessert! You have lots of options.

• Cornmeal - I prefer a fine to medium grind of cornmeal in these muffins so that it seamlessly blends into the batter.
• Oat flour - Learn how to make oat flour to use in these muffins, pick up a package at the store, swap gluten free flour blend (like my homemade gluten free flour blend), or, if you can't eat oats, substitute sorghum or almond flour for the oat flour.
• Baking powder - Make sure your baking powder is fresh before adding it to the batter - this will help the muffins to rise perfectly.
• Granulated sugar - You can reduce the sugar to ¼ cup if you like less sweet muffins.
• Salt - I always use fine sea salt in my recipes.
• Milk - Use whole milk for richness, although 2% milk works just fine, too.
• Eggs - I developed this recipe using large eggs, which I recommend using.
• Butter - Unsalted butter is best!
• Honey - Your choice of honey - local if you can get it - works perfectly here. See my note below about using all honey in these muffins.

See the recipe card at the end of this post for the full ingredient amounts.

Variations

• Use all honey - If you wish to only sweeten this recipe with honey, substitute the granulated sugar for honey.
• Try another flour - This recipe also works well with almond flour (use fine-ground almond flour).
• Add fresh corn - For a little crunch, add 1 cup of fresh or frozen corn kernels to the batter before placing it in the tin.

For a more traditional take on cornbread, make my gluten free cornbread recipe without honey.

Tips and Substitution Suggestions

• Bake as a pan or a loaf: Don't feel like making muffins? No problem. You can easily make this recipe into a loaf or pan of cornbread. Grease or butter an 8x8 baking pan or a standard-size loaf pan, add the batter and bake for about 30 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.
• Make dairy-free: Swap the butter for your favorite non-dairy butter and the milk for your favorite non-dairy milk to make this gluten free cornbread dairy-free.
• Try buttermilk: The addition of buttermilk lends tenderness and a touch of tangy flavor. Substitute the milk for buttermilk if you like.
• Other grinds of cornmeal: I prefer a fine to medium-grind cornmeal in these muffins (and in general when I add cornmeal to gluten free bakes). However, if you like a more textured or homey cornbread, you can try a coarser grind of cornmeal. You may wish to let the batter hydrate a bit longer if you are using a coarser grind.
• Use for holiday stuffing or dressing: This is my go-to choice when I want to make homemade gluten free stuffing. Make double the batch if you're serving a crowd and turn it into a delicious pan of stuffing along with nuts, dried fruit, and more.

Serving Suggestions

I love serving slightly warmed cornbread muffins alongside all sorts of vegetable soups, like butternut squash soup, or with a heartier soup like carrot and red lentil soup. You can also pair them with:

• Softened, salted butter!
• A drizzle of honey
• Hard cheese, like sharp cheddar, or a softer cheese like brie
• Hummus
• Use them to make gluten free strawberry shortcake!

Storage

• Counter - Place honey cornbread muffins in an airtight container or sealable bag and store them on the counter at room temperature for up to 3 days.
• Fridge - Store the muffins in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Freezer - Transfer cooled muffins to a freezer-safe bag and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw the muffins in the fridge before serving.