Photo: Hemera

Monterey Jack cheese balances out the hint of spicy jalapeño in these cornbread muffins.
Serves 8

Ingredients

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup fine yellow cornmeal
• 3/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 4 Tbsp. (1/2 stick) butter, melted and mostly cooled
• 6 Tbsp. sour cream
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 or 2 jalapeños (according to taste), stemmed, seeded and finely chopped

Directions

Active time: 20 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease 8 muffin slots (in a 12-slot tin) with cooking spray; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper. In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar and egg until thickened and smooth, about 30 seconds. Whisk in butter until combined, then add sour cream and milk; whisk until smooth.

Add egg mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until combined. Gently fold in cheese and jalapeño. Spoon batter evenly into muffin cups and bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes, then run a sharp knife around the edges to loosen the muffins and transfer to a platter. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Per serving: 225 calories, 12g fat, 7g protein, 21g carbohydrates