Jalapeno Corn Sticks with Maple Honey Butter.
Living in the Southwest exposes you to ingredients that are fun to work with. Jalapenos are found in a lot of our recipes. Not being raised with them, however, it has been a journey to get to like them. And now… well…, I still can handle the heat if all the seeds are not removed.
I sure do like the flavor the flavor they add.
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This recipe combines basic cornbread with the yummiest ingredient ever: bacon. There are as many cornbread recipes out there as there are jalapenos.
Unable to settle on one specific, I decided to take matters into my own hands, and this is what I came up with.
First of all, I must admit I was a bit scared as it was my first attempt, but you must give it a try. Easy to prepare, and you cannot keep any leftovers.
My creation is the honey maple butter. It consists of soft unsalted butter, sweet maple syrup, and a load of great Arizona honey. Is your mouth watering yet?
If you want to add more fun to your cooking, make extra butter and spread it over toasted English muffins or cinnamon raisin bread for an extra fun start to your day.
In this Article
- What are jalapeno peppers?
- Before I go further about the recipe, I want to share some tips on handling fresh jalapeños.
- Ingredients needed to create this wonderful recipe of Jalapeno Corn Sticks with Maple Honey Butter
- Equipment Needed
- Step by step instructions on how to make these delicous corn sticks
- Pro Tips
- Variations for your jalapeño
- If you enjoy these jalapeno corn sticks, you may want to try:
- Jalapeno Corn Sticks with Maple Honey Butter
What are jalapeno peppers?
Jalapeno peppers are medium-sized chile peppers with mild to moderate heat.
The deep green color is when they are picked and are in their unripened state. Jalapenos turn red when they are ripe.
Used to flavor everything from salsa to salad dressing.
Fresh jalapenos can be chopped, sliced, or diced, depending on your use.
Slice them into rings when you want to concentrate the heat into a bite.
Nachos are a good example.
Remove the ribs and the seeds to reduce the level of heat.
Before I go further about the recipe, I want to share some tips on handling fresh jalapeños.
- Note to the wise, and I guess this is more a note to myself: the seeds and the filaments are the hot part of the jalapeno.
- Be very careful when removing them, and do not breathe into them. I did that, and I am still coughing.
- Remove any white membrane that is attached to the inside of your pepper.
- It is ok to rinse the inside of the jalapeno. This will eliminate a lot of the heat.
Ingredients needed to create this wonderful recipe of Jalapeno Corn Sticks with Maple Honey Butter
Cornmeal – The star of this dish
Flour – added to the buttermilk mixture, help create the batter for your corn sticks
Baking powder and baking soda – allow the cornmeal to rise and become fluffy.
Salt – seasoning
Jalapeno – See my notes above and below on how to handle jalapenos. They can be your friend or your worst nightmare. I prefer a friend, how about you?
Egg – binding between the flours
Buttermilk – creates this excellent batter
Vegetable or Canola oil– to grease your corn stick molds where you will be baking your jalapeno corn sticks.
Unsalted butter – I always use unsalted butter in my cooking or baking to control the amount of sodium. Salted butter not only adds too much salt to your dish, but it changes the flavor.
Maple syrup – bring a level of sweetness to your cornsticks.
Honey – a great natural sweetener
Bacon – Everything always tastes better with bacon. The Center cut has more meat attached to it. Cook to a crisp and reserve the grease as you will be incorporating it into the batter.
Equipment Needed
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Step by step instructions on how to make these delicous corn sticks
Use two well-seasoned cast-iron corn stick pans. But if only one pan is available, bake in batches.
I also prepared it with a Lodge well-seasoned 9-inch cast iron skillet. I love it and was able to cut it into squares. It did not make the same dramatic entrance to my table, but it was gone as fast.
Star by preheating your oven to 450F degrees.
Meanwhile
- Lightly grease the corn sticks pans and set aside.
- Crips up the slices of bacon to a crisp, remove from the fat which you will use therfore set aside.
- Clean your jalapeno.
Creating your batter
- Mix together in a large mixing bowl the cornmeal, flour, baking and soda powder, salt, bacon, and jalapeno.
- In a medium bowl whisk the egg, buttermilk, cooled off bacon grease and once mixed well, incorporate it to the dry ingredients mixture. Stir to mix fully incorporating dry and wet ingredients.
- Spoon the batter into the corn stick pan filling each indentation. I usually gently shake or pound the mold to my table to set the batter.
Time to bake
- Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, depending of your oven, or until the top is slightly brown and when inserting a knife it will come out clean.
While baking prepare the butter
- By mixing together the butter, honey and maple syrup. You can make this ahead of time and keep in the refrigerator until close to using it.
Cool your cork sticks and enjoy with the honey maple butter.
Pro Tips
- When I first moved to Arizona, I was introduced to jalapenos. My friends were unsure how I would cope with the heat.
- So, they showed me a trick. Whenever I eat something spicy hot, I should add salt and lime to a slice of radish or cucumber. I should eat it immediately.
- The two balance the heat by calming it. And trust me, I have seen and felt fire one time too many.
- No need to drink tons of water, milk, or beer to calm the hotness.
Variations for your jalapeño
You will find many great suggestions on the internet for what you can add to your cornsticks. The below suggestions, are what I have made for my family and friends, and it was very well accepted and enjoyed.
- Cheddar Cheese or extra-sharp cheddar—Do not add too much of it, as it will tend to make your jalapeno sticks mushy.
- Lemon zest and some fresh juice – in the batter adds a zing to it.
- Fresh cilantro or fresh chopped scallions (pale green parts only)- chopped fine with the lime adds a new layer of fun.
- Garlic powder and red chili pepper flakes if you want more heat than you can handle.
If you enjoy these jalapeno corn sticks, you may want to try:
Stuffed Jalapeno – The Perfect Appetizers
Jalapeno Corn Sticks with Maple Honey Butter
Ingredients
- 1½ cup yellow cornmeal
- ½ cup unbleached all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded and diced
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup vegetable oil, or bacon grease o
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 6 slices bacon, center cut bacon, sliced into ¼ pieces and cooked until crisp
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°.
- Lightly grease two corn stick pans. If you have only one, you can make the corn sticks in batches, or you can use a large cast iron skillet instead of corn stick pans.
- Mix together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, bacon and jalapenos. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, and bacon grease and pour into the cornmeal mixture. Stir well until well combined. The batter will be thick.
- Spoon the batter evenly into the corn stick pan, filling each indentation to the rim
- Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until the top is lightly brown and when inserting a knife, it will come out clean. If you are baking in a large skillet, bake for 15 to 18 minutes.
- Prepare the butter, honey and maple syrup and blend well. (can be refrigerated for 5 to 10 minutes if you wish or too soft.
- Serve immediately with maple honey butter.
Nutrition
Giangi’s Kitchen provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as a registered dietician does not calculate them.
- Course: Appetizers, Pasta, Rice & Grains
- Cuisine: International
- Type: Affordable Gourmet, Under 45 minutes
Did you make this?
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