Uncle Eddie’s Cornbread Recipe

With Thanksgiving approaching I’ve been pulling out my own cookbooks to find recipes for our family dinner. Coming across the recipe for my Uncle’s cornbread I knew I couldn’t pass up including this in our holiday meal! My Uncle’s cornbread is a true northern variety – sweet and cake like, with a hint of vanilla (and sometimes even cinnamon).

There are two ways to make it, one which is delicious with dinner, and a slightly sweeter version that makes an amazing breakfast (or dessert if you can wait that long to eat it!). I make my cornbread in a cast iron skillet, but my Uncle has always made his in a baking pan, so I’ll include both versions here!

For the cornbread:

• 1 Cup Flour
• 1 Cup Cornmeal
• 1 Cup Sugar
• 1 Heaping teaspoon Baking Powder                                                                                    
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 Whole Egg
• 1 Cup Milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 Tablespoon butter, softened

[warning]Variation: For a sweeter bread, which is our preference for breakfast, increase the vanilla extract to 1 Tablespoon and sprinkle cinnamon over the top before baking![/warning]

1. In a large bowl combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt.
2. In a separate bowl combine egg, milk, vanilla and butter
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
4. If using a skillet: preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt a teaspoon of butter in your cast iron skillet over medium heat. Pour in the batter (it should sizzle) and cook for 1 minute, then transfer to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until the cornbread is golden brown.If baking: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Pour batter into a greased 9X13 inch baking pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown.

The cornbread is delicious on its own, or topped with a little butter. This time of year I especially love it with some whipped pumpkin honey butter! I love how quickly this comes together and that it doesn’t call for buttermilk, which I rarely have on hand. Give it a whirl, then head down to the comments to let me know what you think!