Sweet Corn Muffins
These muffins are the perfect anytime food. The sweet cornmeal crumb is filled with juicy bursts of fresh corn and topped with a rich, buttery crumble. We enjoy them on their own as a snack, for breakfast, or as the ideal foil for a bowl of hot, spicy chili. No matter what time of day you eat them, I am sure you are your family will fall in love with this recipe.
Some tricks and tips for this recipe. First, line the muffin tin with paper liners. This helps prevent sticking, and it makes storing the baked muffins so much easier. Second, use salted butter. I don’t usually bake with salted butter, but in this recipe the extra salt really makes a difference for the flavor!
Third, use either fresh or frozen corn kernels. Frozen are just easier to get at any time of the year, so I use those most often. Keep frozen corn kernels in the freezer until just before mixing. Then gently fold the corn by hand into the batter with a rubber spatula, mixing only until they are evenly incorporated.
Finally, I call for a stand mixer, but you can definitely mix this recipe by hand. Just be sure to thoroughly cream the sugar and butter before adding the eggs, vanilla, flours, and sour cream.
Sweet Corn Muffins - Makes 12 muffins
Equipment:
Muffin tin
Stand mixer (optional)
Crumble Topping Ingredients:
2 TBS. salted butter, melted
2 TBS. sugar
1 tsp. brown sugar
1/4 cup + 2 TBS. all-purpose flour
Muffin Ingredients:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 + 1/4 cup fine ground cornmeal
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 stick (8TBS.) salted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
Method:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF, and line the muffin tin with 12 liners. I use convection bake and set the rack in the middle of the oven.
Make the crumble topping. Combine all the topping ingredients in a small bowl and mix until evenly incorporated and little balls form. Place the topping in the refrigerator while you make the muffin batter.
Make the batter. Sift the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Cream together the sugar and the softened butter using the paddle attachment fitted into the stand mixer. Mix until the sugar is dissolved and the butter is nice and fluffy. Then add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly in between each addition. Once the eggs are fully mixed in, add the vanilla extract and mix again.
Add half the flour mixture to the batter, and mix on medium low until it’s fully incorporated. Then add half the sour cream, and mix again until the sour cream is incorporated. Then add the remaining flour and mix to incorporate. Finally add the remaining sour cream and mix fully. You may need to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to get all the flour mixed in.
Remove the bowl of the stand mixer, and add the corn kernels to the batter. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the corn into the batter by hand. Mix only until the kernels are evenly incorporated.
Scoop 1/4 cup of the batter into each prepared muffin liner. Then top each muffin evenly with the prepared crumble topping. Bake the muffins in the oven for 30-38 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool for at least 5 minutes before enjoying. Store covered at room temperature for up to three days.
