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Fresh Corn Muffins

By Morgan Bolling

Published on June 21, 2021

Time

55 minutes, plus 20 minutes cooling

Yield

Makes 12 muffins

Fresh Corn Muffins

Ingredients

1½ cups (7½ ounces/213 grams) all-purpose flour 1½ cups (7½ ounces/213 grams) cornmeal, divided1 cup (7 ounces/198 grams) sugar 1½ teaspoons table salt 1½ teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup whole milk ½ cup sour cream 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted2 large eggs 2 cups corn kernels

Before You Begin

We developed this recipe using Quaker Yellow Corn Meal. Yellow or white cornmeal can be used. Three medium ears of corn should yield at least 2 cups of corn kernels. If you don't own a microwave, the cornmeal paste can also be made in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Just be sure to whisk it constantly so that the ingredients don't scorch on the bottom of the saucepan. These corn muffins are great on their own or with our Cardamom–Brown Sugar Butter.

Instructions

  1.  Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Generously spray 12-cup muffin tin, including top, with vegetable oil spray. Whisk flour, 1 cup cornmeal, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in large bowl; set aside.
  2.  Whisk milk and remaining ½ cup cornmeal together in medium bowl. Microwave until mixture begins to thicken to paste-like consistency, 1 to 3 minutes, whisking frequently. Whisk sour cream and melted butter into cornmeal paste. Whisk in eggs. Stir cornmeal mixture and corn kernels into flour mixture until just combined.
  3.  Using greased ⅓-cup dry measuring cup or #12 portion scoop, divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups; evenly distribute any remaining batter among cups (cups will be full).
  4.  Bake until muffins are golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out with few crumbs attached, 20 to 24 minutes. Let muffins cool in muffin tin on wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from muffin tin and let cool on rack for 15 minutes. Serve warm.
Fresh Corn Muffins
Photography by Steve Klise. Styling by Steve Klise.

Fresh Corn Muffins

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Time

55 minutes, plus 20 minutes cooling

Yield

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients

1½ cups (7½ ounces/213 grams) all-purpose flour
1½ cups (7½ ounces/213 grams) cornmeal, divided
1 cup (7 ounces/198 grams) sugar
1½ teaspoons table salt
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup whole milk
½ cup sour cream
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
2 cups corn kernels

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

1½ cups (7½ ounces/213 grams) all-purpose flour
1½ cups (7½ ounces/213 grams) cornmeal, divided
1 cup (7 ounces/198 grams) sugar
1½ teaspoons table salt
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup whole milk
½ cup sour cream
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
2 cups corn kernels

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

1½ cups (7½ ounces/213 grams) all-purpose flour
1½ cups (7½ ounces/213 grams) cornmeal, divided
1 cup (7 ounces/198 grams) sugar
1½ teaspoons table salt
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup whole milk
½ cup sour cream
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
2 cups corn kernels

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

Fresh sweet corn is one of the best things about the summer, so we set out to make buttery, golden corn muffins that showcased the seasonal vegetable. For a muffin that was tender and full of corn flavor, we microwaved cornmeal with milk until the mixture thickened to a paste-like consistency. This step hydrated and gelled the starch in the cornmeal. It sounds scientific, but it's a simple method that produces a muffin with a tender crumb and plenty of cornmeal flavor. We decided to lean on the sweeter side here by including a cup of sugar to enhance the natural sweetness of the corn. And finally, adding fresh corn to a cornmeal muffin followed the same principles as adding blueberries to a standard muffin. Two cups of fresh corn kernels added nice pops of sweetness in each bite, making for flavorful but not stodgy muffins. These muffins baked up spotty brown with nice domes and were as summery as we'd hoped. To take them over the top, we served them with our Cardamom–Brown Sugar Butter, inspired by Asha Gomez's cardamom cornbread in her cookbook My Two Souths: Blending the Flavors of India into a Southern Kitchen (2016). The warm flavor of cardamom and sweet corn made a delicious, distinct pairing.

Before You Begin

We developed this recipe using Quaker Yellow Corn Meal. Yellow or white cornmeal can be used. Three medium ears of corn should yield at least 2 cups of corn kernels. If you don't own a microwave, the cornmeal paste can also be made in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Just be sure to whisk it constantly so that the ingredients don't scorch on the bottom of the saucepan. These corn muffins are great on their own or with our Cardamom–Brown Sugar Butter.

Instructions

  1.  Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Generously spray 12-cup muffin tin, including top, with vegetable oil spray. Whisk flour, 1 cup cornmeal, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in large bowl; set aside.
  2.  Whisk milk and remaining ½ cup cornmeal together in medium bowl. Microwave until mixture begins to thicken to paste-like consistency, 1 to 3 minutes, whisking frequently. Whisk sour cream and melted butter into cornmeal paste. Whisk in eggs. Stir cornmeal mixture and corn kernels into flour mixture until just combined.
  3.  Using greased ⅓-cup dry measuring cup or #12 portion scoop, divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups; evenly distribute any remaining batter among cups (cups will be full).
  4.  Bake until muffins are golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out with few crumbs attached, 20 to 24 minutes. Let muffins cool in muffin tin on wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from muffin tin and let cool on rack for 15 minutes. Serve warm.

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