Go Back

Honey Cornbread

Honey cornbread with a tender, golden crumb that bakes up clean on a toothpick and gets brushed with a honey-butter topping. Easy bake-and-brush method for a Southern-style skillet-like texture in an 8x8 pan.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 9 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Southern American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dry ingredients
  • 1 cup yellow cornmeal
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 0.25 cup sugar
Wet ingredients
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 0.33 cup honey
  • 0.5 cup butter, melted
Topping
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp soft butter

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep and preheat
  1. Preheat the oven to 400F and grease an 8x8-inch baking pan so the cornbread releases easily after baking.
Mix dry ingredients
  1. Whisk yellow cornmeal, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a bowl until evenly combined.
Mix wet ingredients and combine
  1. Whisk whole milk, large eggs, honey, and melted butter, then stir into the dry ingredients just until combined—do not overmix.
Bake
  1. Pour the batter into the greased pan and bake for 20-25 minutes at 400F until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
Make and brush topping
  1. Mix honey and soft butter, then brush over the warm cornbread before slicing so it melts and drips into the edges.

Notes

Pro tip: stir the batter only until the flour is no longer visible to keep the crumb tender; overmixing can make it tough. Store wrapped at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate up to 5 days. Freeze baked cornbread for up to 2 months; thaw overnight and warm before serving. For a lighter option, swap half the butter in the batter with neutral oil and keep the honey-butter topping.