Old Fashioned Cornbread Muffins – How to Make Moist Cornbread from Scratch

How to make moist cornbread from scratch? Follow this easy recipe for Old Fashioned Cornbread Muffins. My family won’t let me make any other cornbread recipe after discovering this sweet corn muffin recipe.

Old Fashioned Cornbread Muffins

Have you ever made a recipe, and you pulled it out of the oven and decided you wouldn’t like it because it wasn’t the prettiest?

It’s like judging a book by its cover.

Yep, that’s exactly what I did with  these Old Fashioned Cornbread Muffins.

I was so jazzed about the recipe when I found it in Kentucky Amish Cook Book. What drew me in was the combination of butter and brown sugar in the ingredient list.

I love sweet cornbread, and I love moist cornbread.

It was a Saturday, and I had leftover Southern Sausage and Pinto Beans for lunch. My family loves this meal, and we eat it about once every two weeks.

I especially love it with cornbread, and since I had marked this Sunny Corn Bread Muffin recipe, I decided to whip out a quick batch to go with our leftovers; you know to jazz them up so that everyone is equally excited about eating the meal for a second go-round.

Homemade Corn Muffins

Well, I went to pull the homemade corn muffins from the oven, and I was immediately disappointed. I expected big, fluffy muffins, and these were a little on the flat side. So much so, that I didn’t even bother to take a picture of the finished product.

Next thing I know, the entire family is going ga-ga over these sweet cornbread muffins. There were groans of satisfaction from all around the table. These cornbread muffins from scratch are the bomb! They are exactly what I love in corn bread muffins, moist, sweet and buttery.

Ingredients Needed for Homemade Cornbread Muffins

• Brown Sugar
• Butter, softened to room temperature
• Flour
• Cornmeal
• Baking Soda
• Cream of Tartar
• Salt
• Milk
• Egg

How to Make Moist Cornbread from Scratch

Step By Step Instructions

1. Preheat oven. Insert paper liners muffin/cupcake pan or spray pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Cream softened butter and brown sugar in a large bowl.
3. Add flour, cornmeal, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, egg and milk; whisk until smooth.
4. Pour into prepared muffin pan.
5. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

Storage Instructions

Let leftovers cool completely. Store in an airtight container lined with paper towels to absorb the extra moisture, and to prevent soggy muffins. Or, store in the refrigerator or freezer in a freezer bag to keep them longer.

For the full ingredient amounts and recipe instructions for moist cornbread muffins, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Recipe FAQs

• Be sure to use softened butter so that it creams with the brown sugar.
• This sweet corn bread recipe makes 12 corn muffins.
• I use yellow cornmeal in these homemade corn muffins.
• To store, it is best to keep these refrigerated since they are so moist to prevent molding.
• Use your leftover cornmeal to make some old-fashioned cornmeal mush.
• Looking for a cornbread recipe with corn in it? Try Maryann’s Sweet Cornbread recipe.
• Check out our Amazon Store for our pantry essentials and favorite kitchen items.

Recipe Variations

• Stir in crumbled, fried bacon pieces.
• Add shredded cheddar cheese!
• Stir in fresh herbs.
• Top with honey butter or cinnamon butter.
• Replace the milk with buttermilk.
• Blend in canned corn!

What do cornbread muffins go with?

• Soups such as chili or taco soup
• Stews such as beef stew
• Ham and beans
• Serve for breakfast with a side of bacon and fried potatoes
• Jambalaya or Gumbo
• BBQ Rib and Mac and Cheese
• Greens such as collards
• Salmon patties
• Practically any meal!

Old Fashioned Cornbread Recipes

Broccoli Cornbread Bake

Crock Pot Chicken Cornbread Casserole

Maryann’s Sweet Cornbread

Sweet Corn Casserole

Favorite Hearty Main Dish Recipes

What food goes with cornbread muffins?

Cornbread muffins are the perfect side dish in my opinion.  Stews, soups, skillet dinners, grilled meats, pretty much any meal accompanies corn bread perfectly.

Here are our 15 favorite entrees to serve with cornbread muffins.

1. Creamy Ham and Bean Soup
2. 12-Minute Old-Fashioned Ham Steak
3. Green Bean Chili 
4. Southern Pinto Beans and Sausage
5. Hamburger Vegetable Soup with V8 Juice
6. Skillet Smoked Sausage and Cabbage
7. Weeknight Chili in a Skillet
8. Collard Greens and Bean Soup
9. Tuscan Sausage and White Bean Soup
10. Mom’s Crock Pot Beef Stew 
11. Poor Man’s Stew
12. Frozen Meatball Vegetable Soup
13. Instant Pot American Goulash (Instant Pot Chop Suey Recipe)
14. Potato Sausage Soup
15. Crockpot Swiss Steak

How do I make a moist corn muffin?

The trick is to have a perfect combination of wet to dry ingredients. Measure all dry ingredients using solid measuring cups, and all wet ingredients using liquid measuring cups. Secondly, be sure to avoid over-mixing the cornbread batter. Stir or blend until just combined.

Also, using a recipe that has egg, milk and melted butter ensures a very moist cornbread muffin.

Why do my cornbread muffins get soggy?

Cornbread tends to be a rather moist food which makes it tricky to store. If you are storing the cornbread muffins at room temperature, chances are, they are getting soggy by the second day and moldy by the third or fourth day.

Instead, either store the muffins in the refrigerator or place paper towels in the container with the leftover muffins. The paper towels will absorb the excess moisture preventing a soggy corn muffin.

What soups go with cornbread?

I love to crumble up corn bread into a bowl of hot soup. It’s homey and comforting, and it makes for the perfect meal. Check out my top ten soups to eat with cornbread.

1. Hamburger Vegetable Soup
2. Tuscan Sausage and White Bean Soup
3. Potato Sausage Soup
4. Collard Greens and Bean Soup
5. The Easiest Crock Pot Taco Soup Recipe
6. Creamy Chicken Chili
7. Amish Cabbage Chowder
8. 20-Minute Ham and Cheddar Chowder
9. The Easiest Ham And Bean Soup
10. Southwestern Three Bean Soup