Ingredients
5 slices thick-cut bacon
Nonstick cooking spray
1 1/2 c. yellow cornmeal
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 1/2 c. whole milk
2 large eggs
2 1/2 tbsp. maple syrup
1 large jalapeño, minced
3/4 c. shredded Cheddar
1 green onion, thinly sliced (white and light green parts only)
Preparation
Step 1 Preheat oven to 400°. In a 8" skillet over medium-low heat, arrange bacon slices in an even layer, cutting to fit if necessary. Cook, flipping halfway through cooking, until bacon is mostly crisp and has released most of its fat, 8 minutes in total. Step 2Drain bacon on a paper towel lined plate and transfer bacon fat to a small bowl (Don’t toss it out!). Wipe skillet clean and grease with nonstick cooking spray. Add cooked bacon back to skillet in a single layer.Step 3In a large bowl whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.Step 4In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, maple syrup, and one tablespoon reserved bacon fat. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir with a fork until just incorporated. Add jalapeño, cheddar, and green onion and stir until just combined.Step 5Transfer batter to skillet with bacon and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Step 6Let cool 15 minutes, then turn out onto a serving dish.
We can’t get enough of cornbread recipes (we’re looking at you pumpkin cornbread and maple bacon corn muffins), but this recipe is truly irresistible. With bacon fat in the batter AND crispy bacon in the base, this skillet cornbread was made for bacon lovers. Paired with a burst of heat from the spicy jalapeños and plenty of cheese, there’s truly something for everyone in this creative take on a classic. Yielding 10 servings, this is a perfect crowd-pleasing bite-sized app for your next party or game day food idea to complete your spread. Wondering what to make with it? The possibilities are truly endless. Cornbread alongside a hearty bowl of beef chili is a cozy, comfort food classic, but it also goes great with other warming soups for a crumbly contrast. Or, feel free to keep it simple with just a big pat of butter or a drizzle of hot honey (or both!) to really up the heat level. If we’re being honest though, you can’t go wrong with this baby plain too. We love a contrasting pairing to cornbread’s crumbly texture, but this recipe is so packed full of flavor and moist enough on its own to not need anything extra. In love yet? Try out our jalapeño cornbread poppers for a different take (jalapeños stuffed with crumbly cornbread) on the marriage of these two staple apps. Made it? Let us know how it went in the comment section below! Editor’s Note: This intro was updated to add more information about the dish on August 29, 2022.
