Name: Southwestern Chili-Cheese Corn Muffins
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: Makes 12 muffins
Ingredients: 1 cup (5 ounces/142 grams) all-purpose flour; 1 cup (5 ounces/142 grams) cornmeal; 1/4 cup packed (1¾ ounces/50 grams) light brown sugar; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon chili powder; 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 cup sour cream; 2 large eggs; 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly; 1 cup frozen corn, thawed; 3 scallions, sliced thin; 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped fine; 1 cup crumbled goat cheese, room temperature; 1 jalapeño chile, seeded and minced; 1/4 red onion, minced

Why This Recipe Works

This corn muffin recipe is the perfect companion to a bowl of chili. Following basic muffin-making protocol—combining the dry ingredients in one bowl, wet ingredients in another, and finally folding the ingredients together until just barely combined—made the Southwestern Chili-Cheese Corn Muffins light and tender. The sour cream kept the corn muffins moist and accented the flavor of the cheese in the recipe. Cayenne pepper and a seeded and minced jalapeño chile added a bit of heat and cut through the richness of the cheese.

Before You Begin

This recipe combines sweet, crunchy, and spicy all in one muffin.

Instructions

For the muffins: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Grease and flour 12-cup muffin tin. Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, chili powder, cayenne, and salt in large bowl. Whisk sour cream, eggs, and butter in another bowl until smooth. Stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture until combined, then fold in corn, scallions, and bell pepper.

For the filling: Combine cheese, jalapeño, and onion in bowl. Spoon half of batter into prepared muffin tin, place dollop of cheese mixture in center of batter, and top with remaining batter. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in tin for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer to rack. Cool 10 minutes longer. Serve.