Candied Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread with Maple Butter

Cornbread was doing just fine. We made it better.

Golden, buttery cornbread loaded with sharp cheddar and chopped Sweet n’ Spicy Candied Jalapeños, served warm with homemade maple butter.

It’s sweet, savoury, cheesy and has just enough heat to keep things interesting. Serve it alongside chili, BBQ, pulled pork—or eat it warm straight from the skillet. We won't judge.

Want a little more fire? Use Blazin’ Sweet Candied Jalapeños for an added kick.

Ingredients

For the Cornbread

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• ⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• ½ cup Sweet n’ Spicy Candied Jalapeños, drained and roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp syrup from the Candied Jalapeño jar
• 1 tbsp butter, for the skillet

For the Maple Butter

• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
• Pinch of sea salt

Directions

1. Get the skillet hot.
Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).

Place a 10-inch cast-iron skillet in the oven while it preheats. A hot skillet helps give the cornbread those beautiful crispy, buttery edges.

No cast iron? A greased 9-inch baking dish works too.

2. Mix the dry ingredients.
In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

3. Mix the wet ingredients.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, melted butter, maple syrup and 1 tablespoon of syrup from the Candied Jalapeño jar.

4. Bring it all together.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently stir until just combined.

Don't overmix it. A few little lumps are perfectly fine.

Fold in the shredded cheddar and roughly chopped Sweet n’ Spicy Candied Jalapeños.

Now we're getting somewhere.

5. Into the skillet.
Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven and add 1 tablespoon of butter, swirling it around the bottom and sides.

Pour in the cornbread batter and spread it evenly.

For a little extra colour—and to make sure everyone knows what they're getting into—scatter a few additional pieces of Candied Jalapeño over the top.

6. Bake.
Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Let the cornbread rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.

Make the Maple Butter

While the cornbread is baking, combine the softened butter, 2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup and a small pinch of sea salt.

Whip with a fork or hand mixer until smooth and creamy.

That's it.

Three ingredients. Considerably more dangerous than it sounds.

Serve It Warm

Cut the warm cornbread into wedges and add a generous spoonful of maple butter.

Let that butter start melting down into the cornbread while it's still warm.

For an extra little hit of sweet heat, add a couple of Candied Jalapeños on top.

The Candied Jalapeño Company Tip

The trick here is putting the Candied Jalapeños right into the batter.

Roughly chopping them means you'll get little pockets of sweet heat throughout the cornbread instead of having all the jalapeños sitting on top.

And don't throw away that syrup.

That tablespoon of Candied Jalapeño syrup in the batter adds another layer of flavour without making the cornbread overly sweet.

For more heat, swap the Sweet n’ Spicy for Blazin’ Sweet Candied Jalapeños.

Serve it with chili. Serve it with ribs. Serve it with pulled pork.

Or stand over the skillet eating warm pieces with maple butter.

We know how this is going to end.

Good on Everything. Even cornbread. 🌶️🌽🍁