Cornbread With Dried Cranberries
photo by COOKGIRl
- Ready In:
- 42mins
- Ingredients:
- 13
- Yields:
-
1 8-inch bread
ingredients
-
Cornbread
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2⁄3 cup yellow cornmeal
- 2⁄3 cup unbleached flour
- 1 1⁄2 tablespoons powdered sugar (okay to use granulated sugar)
- 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (my addition)
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1⁄2 cup dried cranberries (*I used orange flavored dried cranberries from Trader Joes)
-
Maple Butter Spread (optional)
- 1⁄2 cup maple syrup
- scant 1/3 cup butter
- 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract (I added this)
directions
- *Note: you can mimic the flavor of Trader Joes' brand of orange flavored dried cranberries by stirring about 1/4 teaspoon of orange extract into the batter.
- CORNBREAD: Preheat oven to 375 degrees (190 degree C).
- In a small saucepan over medium low heat, melt [2 tablespoons] of butter and set aside. Cut up the remaining 2 tablespoons butter into an 8-inch cast iron skillet.
- Place pan in oven until it is hot and the butter is melted and sizzling, about 1-2 minutes (Watch carefully!) Using oven mitts, rotate the pan as need to coat bottom evenly with melted butter. Remove from oven.
- In large bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Make a well in the center. Whisk together the buttermilk, melted butter and beaten egg and pour it into the cornmeal mixture.
- Using a wooden spoon, mix the batter just until it comes together, okay to have some lumps. DO NOT overmix the batter.
- Coarsely chop the cranberries and stir them into the batter. Tip: to make chopping the cranberries easier, wet the knife on both sides. Spread batter evenly into the hot pan.
- Bake at 375 degrees until the top springs back when pressed gently in the center, about 20 to 25 minutes.
- Let cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Best served warm.
- If desired, spread some of the maple butter onto each slice of cornbread.
- MAPLE BUTTER: Using a heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat, heat maple syrup until 235 degrees Fahrenheit (soft ball stage on a candy thermometer).
- Stir in butter.
- Pour mixture into a [deep] bowl (use a *deep* bowl to avoid splattering yourself with the hot liquid!), stir in the vanilla extract and beat with electric mixer until thick and creamy, about 4 minutes.
- Keep stored in glass container in the refrigerator.
Questions & Replies
Got a question?
Share it with the community!
Reviews
-
Made this delicious cornbread to accompany tonight's dinner -- what a treat! Loved the addition of the dried cranberries. I did not make the maple butter spread, but will try this cornbread again and serve it next time when I have guests or family over for dinner. Thanks for such a different variation on traditional cornbread. Made for the "I Recommend" tag, November, 2011.
-
Cookgirl, this cornbread is really tasty! It comes out fluffy, moist and dense at the same time and has a great fruity taste. I used a combination of dried sour cherries, cranberries and blueberries. The nutmeg is a nice touch, I used only a sprinkling of it freshly grated, though. That was perfect for me.<br/>By accident I left out the butter, but that didnt harm taste or texture at all. Lucky me! :)<br/>THANK YOU SO MUCH for sharing this keeper with us!<br/>Made and reviewed during Veggie Swap #38 September 2011.
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
COOKGIRl
United States