Sweet Cornbread Muffins

Y'all - this homemade cornbread muffin recipe makes the perfect side dish. I'm telling you, if you like sweet cornbread, then this is the recipe to try. It's ready in just 30 minutes, and these easy-to-make sweet cornbread muffins pair well with chili, soup, salad, and so much more! 

Sweet Cornbread Muffins

1  2/3 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup cornmeal 

1 1/2 Tbsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup milk 

2 Tbsp oil

2 large eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line or grease a 12 cup muffin tin. Set aside.
2. Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.
3. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar with an electric hand mixer.
4. Add milk and oil and mix on low until just combined. Add two slightly beaten eggs to the mixture and whisk or lightly beat to incorporate.
5. Slowly add in the cornmeal mixture, mixing the two together with a fork until just combined and then stop mixing. The batter should be slightly airy and sticky. Don’t over mix!
6. Divide batter evenly into prepared muffin tin. (Approximately 1/4 cup of batter per muffin will yield exactly 12 muffins.) 
7. Bake for 18-20 minutes at 350 degrees F or until toothpick inserted into the center of the middle muffin  comes out clean.
8. Allow muffins to cool in the muffin tin for about 5 minutes. Invert the muffins onto a wire rack, stand the muffins upright, and cool 5 additional minutes. Serve warm.

Notes:

It is important not to over mix your cornbread batter, otherwise the muffins will be dense, heavy, and dry. If the batter still has a few lumps in it after mixing, that is OK.

A few other things that can cause your cornbread muffins to turn out dry:

• Baking the muffins too long can dry them out and make your muffins crumbly.
• If you cool the muffins completely in the pan, it can sometimes dry them out because they keep cooking. Instead, as soon as you are able to remove them, place the cornbread muffins on a wire rack to finish cooling.

What to Serve with Your Cornbread:

• Kicking Butt & Taking Names Chili 
• Crockpot Vegan Chili
• Crockpot Black Bean Soup
• Old Fashioned Lima Beans and Ham
• Grandma's Old-Fashioned Chicken Soup
• 15 Bean Soup
• Vegan Hoppin' John
• Red Beans and Rice
• Crockpot Black Beans

More Cornbread Recipes You'll Love:

• Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread
• Old-Fashioned Cornbread
• Sweet Honey Cornbread

Apple Scrap Jelly

Today we're bringing you the third and final recipe in our series on apples. Don't forget to grab the first and second apple themed recipes for Spiced Apple Pie Jam and Homemade Applesauce too. 

At the beginning of our series, we discussed how the fall season brings orchard visits. This is why we launched our three-part series featuring apple recipes to help answer the question that comes after the visit: "What do we do with ALL THESE APPLES?!?" 

And with all the peeling and coring that you'll be doing when you make the apple recipes, you’ll be happy to know there is something you can make with all those scraps: Apple Scrap Jelly! In this recipe, you'll basically simmer the peels and cores to extract the juice from them and then use that juice to create jelly.

If you have never used a water bath canning method to can jams or jellies before, you'll want to read the complete instructions online before you start making your Apple Scrap Jelly.

Apple Scrap Jelly

Peels and cores from 12-15 apples (left over from making applesauce, baked apples, apple butter, or other apple recipes)

12 cups water

apple juice (optional)

4 cups sugar

8 Tbsp bottled lemon juice

4 Tbsp pectin

1-2 drops of red food coloring (optional)

6 half pint (8 oz.) glass preserving jars with lids and bands

1 4 oz. glass preserving jar with lid and band

1. Place apple scraps and water in a large stainless steel pot. Simmer uncovered for approximately 30 minutes and reduce down to 8 cups of liquid.
2. Strain reduced liquid through a cheesecloth-lined colander and measure out 8 cups. (Top off with apple juice to get to 8 cups, if necessary.)
3. Whisk in 1/2 Tbsp pectin per cup of liquid. (Amounts for 8 cups of liquid are given in ingredients list above.) 
4. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down, making sure that you get the mixture to 220 degrees, stirring constantly. (This may take 20-30 minutes.)
5. For every cup of strained liquid, add 1/2 cup of sugar and 1 Tbsp lemon juice. (Amount for 8 cups of liquid is given in ingredients list above.) 
6. Return mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary.
7. If desired, add 1-2 drops of red food coloring and stir to incorporate. 
8. Ladle hot jelly into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space. 
9. Follow water bath canning directions to complete the canning process. Process Apple Scrap Jelly 10 minutes. 
10. Recipe (beginning with 8 cups of reduced apple liquid) yields 6 half pint jelly jars plus 1 4-oz. jar for taste testing.

Notes:

Because you are using the peels for this recipe, I would recommend using organic apples. That way, you are sure that you're not including pesticides in your finished product. 

For all of our apple recipes, an apple peeler / corer / slicer will make quick work of prepping the apples.

This recipe is written with a "starting point" of 8 cups of reduced apple liquid. That's because if you start with much more than that, you may have issues with your jelly setting up. If you try the recipe and decide you'd like to make A LOT more of it, I would recommend making it in separate batches to ensure success. 

We made two batches - the ones shown in the photos were a "Mixed Apple Jelly" made from a few different varieties of apples. And then we made another batch from exclusively Pink Lady apples and that turned out a pretty light pink color without the addition of any food coloring at all.

Depending on the varieties of apples you use, your jelly liquid may already be a pink color by step 5. So, you may not need (or may choose to omit) the food coloring in step 6. This is why it is listed as an optional ingredient.

Jam and jelly recipes are finicky, so these types of things can cause your recipe not to set:

• Doubling the recipe.
• Measuring less than the full amount of sugar listed in the recipe or using a sugar substitute. If you want to use less sugar, use a recipe specifically developed for low sugar. 

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Homemade Applesauce for Canning

Today we're bringing you the second recipe in our series on apples. If you missed the first apple themed recipe for Spiced Apple Pie Jam, make sure to grab that one too. 

This homemade applesauce recipe will make you wonder why you haven't always made it from scratch. You really just add all of the ingredients into a big pot, cook it down, and blend it up. That's it. You can either store it in the refrigerator if you're going to eat it within a few days, or can it for a longer shelf life.

If you have never used a water bath canning method to can jams or jellies before, you'll want to read the complete instructions online before you start canning your Homemade Applesauce.

Homemade Applesauce for Canning

6 lb apples, peeled, cored, and quartered

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup bottled lemon juice

1 Tbsp cinnamon, more or less to taste (optional)

4 pint (16 oz.) glass preserving jars with lids and bands

1. Combine all ingredients in a 6 quart stainless steel pot. Cook over medium-low heat for 25 minutes or until apples are very tender, stirring occasionally.
2. Mash apple mixture with a potato masher (for chunky applesauce) or blend with an immersion blender (for smooth applesauce).
3. Ladle hot applesauce into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch of head space.
4. Follow water bath canning directions to complete the canning process. Process Applesauce 20 minutes. 
5. Recipe yields 4 pint jars.

What Recipes Can I Make with Applesauce?

These Harris Sisters' favorites all include applesauce as an ingredient. Make sure to check them out:

• Grandma Elizabeth's Applesauce Cake
• Banana Nut Muffins
• Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Notes:

For all of our apple recipes, an apple peeler / corer / slicer will make quick work of prepping the apples.

This recipe can be doubled and can also be easily adapted to personal tastes. For example, if you are using sweet apples, you may want to use less sugar. Or, you may want to adjust the amount of cinnamon to taste or add different spices (such as nutmeg or allspice). 

When we made this, we made a big batch. We made 1/2 chunky with less cinnamon and 1/2 smooth with lots of cinnamon.

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Spiced Apple Pie Jam

As we *just* start to head into the fall season, that means apple-picking is upon us! And here's the perfect recipe for all those fresh-from-the-orchard apples. 

You know how sometimes you think you want to make a trip to a you-pick apple orchard - It's such a fun fall activity! But then your very next thought is, "What do I actually DO with all those apples?1?" Well, we've got you covered! We'll be bringing you a series of posts all featuring apples over the next several weeks, so be on the lookout for all the recipes in the series. Today's recipe is part one of the series.

This particular jam is a mix of fresh apples and the same spices that you might find in apple pie. It's yummy spread on toast or a biscuit, but it's also quite tasty swirled into your oatmeal for breakfast!

If you have never used a water bath canning method to can jams or jellies before, you'll want to read the complete instructions online before you start making your Spiced Apple Pie Jam.

Spiced Apple Pie Jam

6 cups diced peeled apples (about 6 apples)

2 cups apple juice or apple cider

2 Tbsp. bottled lemon juice

3 Tbsp. powdered pectin

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

2 cups sugar

5 half pint (8 oz.) glass preserving jars with lids and bands

1. Bring apples, apple juice, and lemon juice to a boil in a 6 quart stainless steel pot. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes or until apples are soft, stirring occasionally.
2. Whisk in pectin and spices. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down, over high heat, stirring constantly.
3. Add sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary.
4. Ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space. 
5. Follow water bath canning directions to complete the canning process. Process Spiced Apple Pie Jam 10 minutes. 
6. Recipe yields 5 half pint jelly jars.

Notes:

For all of our apple recipes, an apple peeler / corer / slicer will make quick work of prepping the apples.

Jam and jelly recipes are finicky, so these types of things can cause your recipe not to set:

• Doubling the recipe.
• Measuring less than the full amount of sugar listed in the recipe or using a sugar substitute. If you want to use less sugar, use a recipe specifically developed for low sugar. 

Go ahead and make plans to head off to a you-pick apple orchard near you to load up on some fresh apples!

If you're an apple lover (but not a home canner), we are kicking off the series with these other bonus Harris Sisters' apple recipes to get everyone started:

• Crockpot Apple Butter
• Crockpot Baked Apples
• Glazed Apple Coffee Cake
• Apple Pie French Toast Casserole
• Apple Rose Tarts
• Baked Apple Pancake

And stop by these other jelly and jam recipes too:

• Spiced Christmas Jam
• Ghost Pepper Jelly
• Pineapple Habanero Jelly

And make sure to check back in the coming weeks for follow-up recipes with the apple theme!

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