Zucchini Cornbread Muffins with Chili Honey Butter
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If you are looking for tender, moist, and tasty Zucchini Cornbread Muffins, these are for you. They're topped with a little Chili Honey Butter and totally delicious. Eat them for breakfast, as a snack, or alongside a giant bowl of your favorite chili.
Warning all you cornbread lovers out there: this may be the last cornbread recipe you will ever try. Total happy/sad statement there I KNOW, but it's true.
When something's good, you know, really good, it's all I ever want. Like when I go to a restaurant and order something I dream about every day for a week and then every time I go back to the restaurant I order the exact same dish. Every. Single. Time. So much for trying new things and expanding my food horizons. How am I even a food blogger?
Are you with me? Or are you one of those totally adventurous types who order a new dish each time, not caring if it doesn't hold up to the magic of that first meal? Feeling a little pang of food ordering jealously at all you brave and daring folk who change your orders as often as you change your underwear.
How are we now talking about underwear? This is a FOOD BLOG. Right, back to these Zucchini Cornbread Muffins …
Do you know how cornbread can sometimes be a little dry? It's nothing a little butter or a dip into a bowl of chili can't solve. Still, it's always mildly disappointing. Then there's day-old cornbread that's cold and dry and dense. It's the kind of thing that turns my face into that teary-eyed emoji.
But wait … THESE Zucchini Cornbread Muffins are nothing like dry ol' cornbread. They're deliciously tender straight out of the oven AND the next day.
Inside these beauties is a full zucchini, grated into little zucchini bits, that keep the muffins moist. I know some of you might not like that word (I've heard an affliction to the word ‘moist' actually exists) but that's what they are. You know, the 180 degrees opposite of dry.
And because we're talking cornbread, and nothing goes better with Zucchini Cornbread Muffins than cheese and jalapeños, these babies are cheesy and a little spicy.
Then there's the chili honey butter. Let me tell you, it is everything. Think sweet, buttery and with a tiny hint of spice. I'm only a touch embarrassed to tell you that I wiped the bowl with my finger so not a drop would go to waste.
These delicious Zucchini Cornbread Muffins wouldn't be a thing without my super awesome sister and her super awesome garden. Seriously, her garden is what every wannabe green thumb condo dweller dreams of. There's big time garden envy going on here.
The last time she came to visit she brought me a giant zucchini. Half went into those Summer Veggie Skillet Enchiladas I shared with you the other week. (They were amazing, btw.) The other half went into these Zucchini Cornbread Muffins.
Thank you super awesome sister for making these super awesome muffins happen!
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More Savory Muffins and Delicious Chili Recipes:
- Healthy Southwest Quinoa Muffins
- Dairy-Free Cornbread
- Black Bean and Corn Chili with Avocado Salsa
- Vegetarian Chocolate Quinoa Chili
- Chipotle Bourbon Pumpkin Chili
- Guinness Spiked Irish Chili
- Easy Turkey Chili
Zucchini Cornbread Muffins Recipe
Ingredients
Zucchini Cornbread Muffins
- 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (gluten-free, if needed)
- ¾ cup cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk (can use milk)
- ¼ cup butter (melted)
- 2 medium zucchini (about 2 packed cups grated and squeezed of liquid)
- Optional: 1 jalapeño (minced and a few slices)
Chili Honey Butter
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon butter (melted)
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin with butter. Grate the zucchinis using the large holes of your box grater. Take a handful of grated zucchini and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Repeat until you've squeezed dried all the zucchini.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sea salt, and chili powder.1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, ¾ cup cornmeal, 1 tablespoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 2 large eggs
- Add the eggs, buttermilk, and melted butter and whisk to combine.1 cup buttermilk, ¼ cup butter, 2 medium zucchini, 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese, Optional: 1 jalapeño
- Add the zucchini, cheddar cheese, and, if using, the minced jalapeño, and stir together.
- Divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups – you can fill them all the way to the top. If you'd like, top the muffins with a thin slice of jalapeño. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the muffins comes out clean.
- While the muffins are baking, make the honey butter. Mix the honey, melted butter, and chili powder in a small bowl.2 tablespoons honey, 1 tablespoon butter, ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- Let the muffins cool for 5 minutes and then remove them from the tin and let them cool on a baking sheet. Serve the chili honey butter on the side or drizzle over top.
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
For more inspiration, check out all of our zucchini recipes and dinner ideas!
