As I mentioned in another post, I was my mom's little sous chef and as soon as she thought I could handle stirring the egg and milk into the Jiffy Cornbread mix and lift these into the oven, it became one of my tasks in the kitchen. We ate quite a bit of cornbread when I was growing up because they always had to make an appearance when chili was made and my mom was always cooking up a pot of beans during the winter months, so cornbread was the perfect accompaniment. I was thrilled that mom gave her Wagner cornbread pans to me when she and dad moved to Florida.
When I read that that corn muffins began for Renato with a box of Jiffy corn bread mix in the intro to this recipe from BAKED Exploratons, it made me smile and think that this was probably a shared experience for so many of us growing up in the U.S. But I was skeptical that his recipe would be as good and as easy as Jiffy's.
The recipe calls for honey which is different from Jiffy's. I used a different flavor of honey than the one I used in Dorie's Honey-Spiced Madelaines. We get this honey at the beekeeping store, but it is local honey that is not any 'one' flavor because the bees have pollinated every flower within a 5 mile radius of their hive, so no clear, strong flavor stands out. It is a beautiful, mellow honey that goes with anything and the store has the honey in a large vat so customers can take their own jars and fill them up. I thought this honey would be a good one for the muffins since I wasn't used to having honey in my cornbread.
We really loved the texture of these corn sticks. The cornmeal gave them a nice crunch and the honey gave them a sweetness where butter was not really necessary after they came out of the oven, but I put some butter on mine out of habit more than anything.
These were so moist, yet crunchy, and with the honey had a hint of sweetness that was perfect with our morning coffee. I halved the recipe in the book and it made enough for 10 cornbread sticks.
Nice! So, what is your secret, Elaine on preventing the 'sticks' from sticking?! I have my Mothers set of the same cast iron pans and for the life of me, no matter what I do, they stick! I've gotten so frustrated with them, now dust is sticking to them due to non-use!
ReplyDeleteI'm so jealous of your corn muffin pans! I think I had one at one time but must of have sold it. Your corn sticks look so delicious and homey!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful set of pans.... :) How lucky - I'm sure they bring about good memories of "sous-ing". :) And your honey looks just as good - but what I love best of all are the little butter molds - how cute! Perfect for the ushering in of Fall.
ReplyDelete@Kenn: Over the years, I have found the best method is using a non-stick spray like Pam and then take a pastry brush and make sure it gets in all the crevices. My cornbread never sticks with this method. Now, dust those pans off and use them! :)
ReplyDelete@Candy: thank you, Candy. I often see these at thrift stores and antique stores that you can pick up for a good price.
What great corn-shaped corn muffins!
ReplyDeleteLove your corn sticks! I have one of these pans somewhere??? but couldn't find it...maybe one of my kids "borrowed" it, but it made your "muffins" the best. More crispy surface area and such a fun shape. And I also love different flavored honeys. We get some nice orange blossom honey and a few others here....and you really can tell the difference. Nice touch.
ReplyDeleteha ha we did the same thing with the chili and cornbread, thanks for this : )
ReplyDeleteI love the corn stick pan. The muffins look great and the shape makes it more fun.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip about the spray to avoid sticking.
the corn sticks are adorable! great post!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I love your pans & shaped butter. I used local honey, too, but it was from Orange Trees.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny how much nostalgia these brought up. I wonder if the "Baked Boys" know about our group, or read our posts...
My mom had these same corn bread pans and they are on my wish list as well. It's not just the shape they make but also the crispy exterior on each piece of cornbread which I just love. This post brought back memories.
ReplyDeleteLOVE the pan! I too have fond memories of Jiffy mix and my mom. This was a fun week for that reason alone. Great work!
ReplyDeleteThise are the cutest moulds ever! Pretty sure you couldn't buy them here, but they are gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteThese corn muffins look so delicious! I love your pans. How nice you got to inherit them from your mom. That makes them even more special. I always used Jiffy and doctored it up sometimes with canned corn. Yum!
ReplyDeleteHa! Jiffy corn bread mix was a staple in my home while growing up as well. My mom used to save bacon grease to grease the pan before pouring the mix in. I must pull out my Baked book and check out these muffins. Yours look divine!
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