These Mini Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins were so fun to make! Why? Well, I haven’t made muffins since last year and I loved making them smaller! We (me and Charlie) have been on a diet for quite sometime now – Charlie since April (so into his 7th month now) and he’s lost 52 pounds and me since the end of June (so ending my 4th month now) and I’ve lost 26 pounds. We both are still working on losing more and part of that continuing challenge is to incorporate food we love into our diet so that we don’t feel deprived! And, making them into smaller, portion-controlled sizes is a winning strategy!
Not only are these bite-sized treats great for dieting snacks, they are just the right size for children’s lunches. You can leave out the onion and jalapeño for finicky-eaters, but if you don’t tell them, they probably won’t know! Also, make several batches to take to your next potluck – they’ll be gone in a flash!
Anyway, while these muffins do have fresh jalapeño peppers in them, they really aren’t spicy at all! I remove all the seeds and interior ribs, so the jalapeño just adds a subtle hint of heat. If you like spicier food, leave some seeds in. But, for those of you that don’t like heat, try these anyway. I think you’ll be surprised at how NOT hot they are!
Here’s what you do:
- Measure needed amount of corn (I used frozen).
- Remove frozen corn from package and place in colander to defrost and drain. If you are using fresh corn, you can skip this step. If you are using canned corn, be sure to drain all juice from the corn.
- Choose a small to medium-sized onion.
- Cut in half. Peel one-half of onion and finely dice. Reserve unused half for another recipe.
- Choose a fresh jalapeño pepper.
- Slice jalapeño pepper in half, remove stem, seeds and interior ribs and discard.
- Finely dice jalapeño.
- Spray small non-stick skillet with non-stick cooking spray. Add onion and jalapeño and sauté until onions are translucent. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Crack one egg into mixing bowl and measure milk.
- Whisk egg, milk plus 2 tablespoons of lite-flavored olive oil (I use Olivum from the Temecula Olive Oil Company) together until combined.
- Add box of Jiffy cornbread muffin mix plus 1/2 teaspoon of granulated garlic to milk and egg mixture.
- Stir with fork to combined.
- Add cooked jalapeño and onion mixture.
- Add corn.
- Add cheese and gently combine with fork.
In the meantime, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray 2 12-cup mini muffin pans with non-stick cooking spray (I use my Misto). Dust the mini muffin pans with cornmeal (this insures that the muffins will pop out of the pan with no effort once baked!). Once each section of the muffin pan has a dusting of cornmeal, turn pan over sink and gently hit it against the sink to release excess cornmeal.
Using a small cookie scoop, scoop batter into each section of the mini muffin pan, making sure to evenly distribute muffin batter and using all muffin batter. Place in preheated oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a about 5 minutes. Then, turn muffin pan over a clean kitchen towel, large plate or tray and the muffins will drop right out! Be careful – they may fly across the room if you are too aggressive!
Mini Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins bursting with corny goodness!
Here’s the recipe:
Bite-Sized Mini Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins
Delicious corn flavor with a touch of heat, these muffins are a great snack or side dish with a meal!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Yield: 24 1x
- Category: Bread
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 cups frozen corn, removed from package and left to drain in colander
- 1/2 yellow onion, peeled and finely diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced
- Non-stick cooking spray
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup fat-free milk
- 2 tablespoon lite-flavored olive oil (such as Olivum from the Temecula Olive Oil Company)
- 1 package (8.5 oz) Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1/4 cup shredded 2% milk reduced-fat Mexican blend cheese
- 1/4 cup of cornmeal (for dusting muffin pans)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Drain corn in colander allowing it to defrost while you prepare the rest of the mix.
- Peel and dice 1/2 yellow onion.
- Seed and finely dice one jalapeno pepper.
- Spray a non-stick skillet with non-stick cooking spray (I use my Misto).
- Add onions and jalapeno and sauté over medium heat, stirring occasionally until onions are translucent.
- Remove from heat and set aside.
- Crack egg into mixing bowl.
- Add milk and olive oil and whisk to combine.
- Add muffin mix and granulated garlic and stir with fork until just combined.
- Add onion/jalapeno mixture, corn and cheese to batter and stir with fork until just combined.
- Spray a muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- Dust with cornmeal, removing excess by knocking pan against sink and turning over.
- Scoop batter into each muffin section using a small cookie scoop.
- Use all batter, distributing evenly among the sections of the muffin pan.
- Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes.
- Turn pan over clean towel or large plate to release muffins from pan. Be careful – they may fly off the counter if you are too aggressive!
These are great with a fresh green salad and Grilled Balsamic Chicken Breast Tenders! Or, serve with Tiffany’s Beef Pot Roast with Onions, Oregano and Potatoes. And, a side of Mexican Corn Salad. The possibilities are endless!
And, they freeze well. After having a couple with dinner, we placed the remaining muffins in a plastic freezer container and froze them. Then, we took out what we needed and defrosted them in the microwave (wrap in a paper towel) for a few seconds! Hot and delicious – all over again!
Tootles, 
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