Easy Cornbread Mini Muffins

So we're having this big Labor Day BBQ tomorrow (50+ people, yikes!) and I am making a ton of BBQ chicken and pulled pork .... I needed something to go with it. I decided to make cornbread mini muffins. Good idea, right? Well to be honest the only cornbread I'd ever attempted was Jiffy mix cornbread and , well, I'm sure you can guess the outcome of that.

Blech.

So I wanted an easy, homemade cornbread recipe -- made into mini muffins so I wouldn't have a gigantic mess from people cutting pieces out of a cornbread loaf. Plus I thought they'd look cute in baskets lined with red/white checked napkins.

Easy Buttermilk Cornbread Mini Muffins
Makes 48 mini muffins


2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 cup canola oil
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups buttermilk

Instructions
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Next, get our your mini muffin pans. You'll need two pans (24 mini-muffins each). I used one light colored, and 1 dark colored and they both came out the same. Well, maybe the dark colored one came out slightly more browned on the bottom but the taste was nonetheless the same. Use whatever pans you have, don't stress!

OK spray the muffin tins pretty well with cooking spray. I used olive oil spray but you could use any type you have on hand. If you don't have any cooking spray, use a pastry brush with some melted butter in each tin. If you don't have butter, put some canola oil on a paper towel and rub it in the tins. If you don't have any oil, well, then you probably need to head to the grocery store.

OK pans all lubed up. Now, in a decent size mixing bowl, add in the dry ingredients + the sugar. Stir it all up or sift it so it's nicely combined.  In another (smaller) bowl, add in the buttermilk, beaten eggs, and oil. Mix that up a bit. Pour it into the dry ingredient bowl and mix it good. No need for an electric mixer here, a wooden spoon works best.

Scoop the batter into the muffin tins until it's just under "full". If you have a cookie scoop, your life will be much easier. If you don't have a cookie scoop, don't fret, it'll just be a bit messier for you.  Ok once the muffin tins are full, give them a shake against your counter to settle the batter.

Pop them in the 375 degree oven for 10 minutes.  They're done when a toothpick inserted into the center of the mini muffin comes out clean.

If you want to make regular muffins, you can do that too. Bake for 16-18 minutes depending on muffin size. Rely on the toothpick check to tell when they are done.

That's it. Now, take them out of the oven and let them sit for a few minutes so you don't burn your hands (we all know what that's like). After a few minutes have gone by, take them out of the muffin tins and put them on a cooling rack. Resist the urge to eat them (actually grab some butter, slather it on and enjoy one... nobody will know).

Serve warm or room temperature.

If storing, cool them completely put in an airtight container or wrap tightly with plastic wrap.

Enjoy!