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posted by Christy Denneyon Oct 25, 2023212 comments »
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corSweet Cornbread recipe– soft, tender moist quick bread recipe that’s sweet just like I like it. Reminds me of Marie Calendar’s cornbread. If you need a sweet cornbread to pair with chilis or soups, this is the recipe you need.
EASY CORNBREAD RECIPE
I’ve been searching for the perfect cornbread.
I was at a church function and our friends said his mom was famous for her cornbread so of course I had to try it. It tasted like cake. I like cake.
Turns out it was actually made WITH a cake mix – go figure. So yes, I like my cornbread on the sweeter side but not quite that sweet. Almost. Next recipe.
I’ve tried recipe after recipe and almost settled on one.
Until I happened to be at my friend’s house and her mom was telling me how hers was the best cornbread recipe was and that it tastes sweet like Marie Calendar’s.
It was kind of like when I was trying on wedding dresses. I found a lot that I liked but didn’t LOVE. They were all just missing that little something.
Then I tried on the dress meant for me.
The dress was discontinued (or as I like to look at it – one of a kind), inexpensive, modest, and the perfect mixture of satin and detail.
I knew there wasn’t any reason to look any further. I just knew.
So then I as I left my friend’s house I knew I had one more recipe to try. My husband looked at me like I was a little crazy when I went into the kitchen at 10pm to make cornbread…yet again.
But I had to know. The result? I said YES to the cornbread. YES!!! This was definitely not Jiffy cornbread.
Soft, tender, flat top with crispy edges – no weird bubbling (don’t ask), sweet and moist with the perfect texture.
Hope you love it like I do! You can even freeze this if you want to make it ahead of time. Trust me, this is the best homemade cornbread. You don’t have to make it in a cast iron skillet. You can just use a baking dish.
INGREDIENTS
- BUTTER – We use softened butter not melted butter here. Some people use vegetable oil but I love the flavor of butter better.
- WHITE SUGAR – This is on the sweet side so if you’re looking for a Southern cornbread this is it. You could use brown sugar if that’s all you have.
- EGGS – Helps make this light and fluffy.
- SALT
- BUTTERMILK – Buttermilk cornbread has a little tang and is so moist.
- CORNMEAL – We use yellow cornmeal here and a fine grained one.
- ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR
- BAKING POWDER – Helps make it fluffy.
- BAKING SODA
HOW TO MAKE CORNBREAD
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 casserole dish.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and salt and mix until combined. Add the buttermilk and stir until thoroughly combined. Next, add the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and baking soda to the wet ingredients. Mix to incorporate.
Pour batter into prepared baking pan. Bake until golden. The cooking time will be different for every oven. START checking it for doneness at 25 minutes and bake longer until a golden-brown color if needed (up to 35 minutes)
Serve warm with butter and a drizzle of honey.
BUTTERMILK SUBSTITUTE
If you don’t have buttermilk you can add 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to each cup of milk and let it sit for a couple of minutes.
CAN I MAKE THESE INTO MUFFINS?
Yes. Just grease a muffin tin and fill the cups 3/4 of the way full. Bake the corn muffins for 12-15 minutes or until the center is set.
CAN I ADD CORN TO THIS CORNBREAD?
In my opinion, cornbread should be made in its purest form without corn. When you add corn it turns into a spoon bread, corn pudding, or Corn Souffle.
CHILI RECIPES:
This is the perfect cornbread side dish for your chili.
- Easy White Chicken Chili
- Buffalo Chicken Chili
- Healthy Spicy Beef and Black Bean Chili
- Pizza Chili
- Slow Cooker Chicken Quinoa Chili
- Green Enchilada Pork Chili
- Mom’s White Chicken Chili
The Best Sweet Cornbread
4.67 from 80 votes
The Best Sweet Cornbread - soft, tender moist cornbread recipe that's sweet just like I like it.
PrintPinRate
Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
Cook Time: 25 minutes mins
Total Time: 35 minutes mins
Servings: 24 servings
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, , softened
- 1 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups buttermilk, (see Note for easy substitution)
- 1 1/4 cups fine cornmeal, (found by the flour)
- 2 3/4 cups flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 baking dish.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and salt and mix until combined. Add the buttermilk and mix until thoroughly combined. Next, add the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix to incorporate.
Pour into prepared baking dish. Bake until golden. This will be different for every oven. START checking it for doneness at 25 minutes and bake longer until golden if needed (up to 35 minutes)
Serve warm with butter and honey.
Notes
Buttermilk Substitution: If you don't have buttermilk you can add 1 tablespoon of vinegar to each cup of milk and let it sit for a couple of minutes.
This can easily be halved and baked in a 9x9 pan.
Source: my friend Rachel's mom, Kim Smith who got it from her church cookbook. Original author is listed as Cheri McClean.
Cuisine: American
Course: Breads
Author: Christy Denney
All Recipes Bread Breads and Rolls
published on Oct 25, 2023
212 comments Leave a comment »
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212 comments on “Sweet Cornbread Recipe”
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Emily — Reply
Can I use Margarine? Should I omit salt in the recipe? (That’s what I do if I use salted butter.)
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Christy Denney — Reply
Sorry margarine will give you different results. I guess you could try it but I am not a fan of margarine.
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kiara — Reply
can this be made with whole milk instead of buttermilk?? I have yet to use buttermilk in any of my baked goods recipes but I’m not sure how I’ll like the tang, is it noticeable and would whole milk work?
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Christy Denney — Reply
the tang is not noticeable but buttermilk is essential in this!
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Mel — Reply
This is the real deal. A lot of recipes say “the best xxx” but this really is the best cornbread! I’ve tried so many different ones and this is a keeper. My search is over. Will be making this again in the near future. Thanks for sharing!
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Christy Denney — Reply
Yay!!! I’m glad you agree
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Mary — Reply
Can I use 1% milk
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Christy Denney — Reply
You can use 1% to make the buttermilk sub but the buttermilk is crucial
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Pamela — Reply
The Best Sweet Cornbread! You got that right! I entered this cornbread recipe in my county this month and won a BLUE RIBBON FIRST PLACE! Thank you for all your delicious goodies on this site! You are appreciated!
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Christy Denney — Reply
Oh wow!!
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Melinda All — Reply
Can I make this in a cast iron skillet?
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Christy Denney — Reply
Yes!
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Catherine — Reply
We made beans and rice tonight for supper and wanted some cornbread to go with it and came across this recipe.
WOW!!! My husband says it was better than the beans lol.
Thank you for sharing your recipe with us!!!
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Christy Denney — Reply
Awesome to hear!
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Starr Nelson — Reply
Oh em goodness 😳
This was AMAZING!!!
Thanks for sharing my new cornbread recipe!
It was a huge hit with my family tonight ❤️-
Christy Denney — Reply
Thank you!
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Jane — Reply
OMG. I’ve never made cornbread before and wasn’t really a big fan of it, but holy cow this was so freakin delicious! I’m going to make this recipe all the time.
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Christy Denney — Reply
Thank you!
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Christine Delia — Reply
Hi! Want to try this for Thanksgiving. I do have a glass baking dish, but just wondering, can this be done in a regular 9×13 pan also? What do you think the outcome would be?
Thank you!
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Christy Denney — Reply
Yes, it should work!
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Starr Nelson — Reply
I just made it in a 12 inch cast iron skillet & it was amazing!
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norma — Reply
1 1/3 cup sugar? Yep! That’s corncake! That stopped me from trying this recipe. Why don’t you just call it a cake with a little cornmeal thrown in for texture. I usually like and try lots of your recipes. This one won’t stop me.
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Christy Denney — Reply
This is why I named it sweet cornbread. I have another cornbread recipe that is more savory. https://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/kendees-famous-buttermilk-cornbread/
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Lauren — Reply
I love this recipe!!! It is my go-to cornbread recipe-it is sweet and not dry at all. I usually reduce the sugar and use 2/3 the amount and it is sweet enough for our family. Everyone I have made this for loves it!
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Robert — Reply
Best cornbread recipe ever! Made one for thanksgiving and it came out perfect. Made another one the next day, and I’m making one again this week. Doesn’t last long in our house. Thanks!
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Sparks13 — Reply
I have been looking for THE cornbread recipe for decades, yes, really decades. This is it. Not too crumbly, not too sweet, not under sweet, moist as can be. The only thing I don’t know is how well it keeps, because I’ve never had a pan last even 48 hours. And my silly husband said he didn’t like cornbread….
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Christy Denney — Reply
Aww that’s the best compliment ever!
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Sparks — Reply
Wonderful! My husband has never much liked cornbread. Says it’s too dry and stiff. He LOVED this one. I caught him getting thirds.
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Sparks — Reply
Didn’t even NEED butter…although I still buttered the heck out of it, lol.
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Christy Denney — Reply
Aww awesome!
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Rena — Reply
I made mine in an 8×11 1/2 and it took about 45-50 min. It came out so moist and fluffy and just a hint of sweetness. I use to make a doctored up version with Jiffy corn muffin mix but after this…there is no going back. This was so good!
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Christy Denney — Reply
Thank you!
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