A few years back, during that Super Bowl where the Giants won and Madonna performed, I made these delicious mini bacon corn muffins, and they were a huge hit among my friends. The sweet corn muffins paired with the crispy, salty bacon make this delicious bite-size snack the perfect combination. They’re straightforward to make, too.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This recipe is a great mix of sweet and savory, making it the go-to snack when you’re enjoying something like the Super Bowl or any other grand event. It’s also a simple recipe to make and bring to something like a potluck.
Ingredients
Butter – Melt the butter in the microwave by heating it slowly, 10 seconds at a time, until it’s completely melted.
Sugar – I use granulated sugar.
Eggs – I use large eggs. Make sure they are at room temperature before making this recipe.
Buttermilk – I love using buttermilk in this recipe and my cornbread (pan de maíz) recipe. It makes the muffins and cornbread light and tender.
Flour – This recipe calls for regular all-purpose flour.
Cornmeal – Use fine yellow cornmeal, not coarse, since the texture is better for baking.
Baking soda – Baking soda helps the muffins rise.
Salt – to balance the flavors.
Bacon – It adds that crispy, salty goodness to these muffins.
Step-by-Steps Instructions
Prepare the batter: Combine butter, sugar, eggs, and buttermilk in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix flour, cornmeal, baking soda, and salt. Then, combine the flour mixture with the wet mixture. Finally, mix in the bacon pieces.
Bake the muffins: Drop spoonfuls of the mixture into a greased mini muffin pan, adding a few extra pieces of bacon on top of each muffin cup. Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Take the pan out of the oven and let it cool for about 5 minutes before transferring the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.
Serving Suggestions
These bacon corn muffins can be enjoyed alongside other finger foods and bite-sized snacks like my yuca fritters or cheese-stuffed fried yuca balls with cilantro dressing.
Recipe Variations
- Try adding hot dog pieces to make mini corn dog muffins.
- You could also add cheddar cheese and jalapeño pepper slices for a bit of a kick.
- Maybe you just want some simple plain corn muffins. If so, then just leave the bacon out of the recipe and you are good to go!
What can I add to my cornbread mix?
If you choose cornbread mix, water is best recommended to create the batter and ensure it becomes moist. If you want a richer flavor and moister texture, swap out the water for the same amount of something like milk, buttermilk, coconut, almond, or soy milk.
Storage Tips
Because these muffins contain bacon, it is best to store them in the fridge, where they will remain fresh for up to six days. Heat them up in the oven at 350 degrees for about 4 – 5 minutes.
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Frequently Asked Questions
White and yellow cornmeal mainly differ based on their colors. Some studies say that meal grounds from darker corn kernels such as deep orange, yellow, or purple hues, are richer in nutrients like vitamin A and beta carotene and slightly more nutritious.
Getting your corn muffins to come out perfect can take a few tries if you don’t get it the first time. But corn muffins can get so dry because of overbaking, overmixing, or adding the wrong substitutions.
The best way to tell when your muffins are ready is by sticking a toothpick inside the center of the muffin and seeing if it comes out clean.
If you mix your batter too much, gluten develops, and if there’s too much of it, it could cause the batter to become dry and rubbery. Simply mix with gentle strokes until you no longer see any streaks of flour. And while you may not have all the ingredients, I recommend you stick to the recipe to avoid the outcome being unintended.
Corn muffins can be viewed as healthy because of the ingredient used to make them — yellow cornmeal. Yellow cornmeal is the only whole grain to contain beta-carotene, a nutrient processed into vitamin A in the body, making it a nutrient-rich baked good as opposed to most others.
However, when it comes to corn muffins, you must consider the other ingredients involved — sugar, butter, buttermilk, and salt — which may make them not so healthy. You can, however, opt to use whole-wheat flour instead and other options to make this dish healthier.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- To check if your corn muffins are done baking, stick a toothpick into the center of the muffin. If it comes out clean, your muffins are done, and they’re ready to be taken out.
- Avoid overmixing. Simply mix with gentle strokes until you no longer see any streaks of flour.
- Make sure to shop accordingly in preparation for this recipe. Adding any substitutions can make the recipe come out as you don’t intend. I recommend thoroughly sticking to the recipe.
Other Recipes You’ll Love
Mini Bacon Corn Muffins
Author:
These adorable mini bacon corn muffins are the perfect bite-sized side dish for a barbecue or picnic. Give them a try!
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease mini muffins pan using baking spray and set it aside.
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Cut bacon into small pieces and cook in a small pan for about 8 – 10 minutes, or until crispy. Remove it from the pan and set aside to cool.
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In a medium bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, baking soda and salt.
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In a separate bowl, mix together butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time and mix combine. Mix in the buttermilk.
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Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients and mix until everything is incorporated. Slowly fold 2/3 of the bacon into the batter. Do not overmix.
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Add spoonfuls of the batter into each mini muffin cup. Place small pieces of the leftover bacon on top of the batter in each mini muffin cup.
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Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
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Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- To check if your corn muffins are done baking, stick a toothpick into the center of the muffin. If it comes out clean, your muffins are done, and they’re ready to be taken out.
- Avoid overmixing. Simply mix with gentle strokes until you no longer see any streaks of flour.
- Make sure to shop accordingly in preparation for this recipe. Adding any substitutions can make the recipe come out as you don’t intend. I recommend thoroughly sticking to the recipe.
Nutrition
Calories: 109kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 2gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 133mgPotassium: 49mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 126IUCalcium: 13mgIron: 0.4mg
The nutritional information of this recipe and all recipes on mydominicankitchen.com is only an estimate. The accuracy of any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
This recipe post was first published in January 2015. It was updated in January 2023 with new photos and additional recipe notes and tips.
