Today I’m sharing my gluten-free corn muffins. They are the Best Gluten-Free Corn Muffins! Oh, yes, I’m biased. But friends and family truly love these muffins. But first, let me tell you why I decided to share this recipe with you today.
My friend, Diva, over at Beach Eats, recently shared her entry in a challenge called Eating Your Words. It’s actually a competition where you create your blog name, URL, etc. using food so that it’s edible—really cool idea, huh? You can read more over at the co-hosts’ blogs–Jennifer at Savor the Thyme and Tracey at Tangled Noodle.
But, listen to this … Chef Andrew Zimmern (of Bizarre Foods fame) is the judge for this event! I actually didn’t read Diva’s post until Monday, but this was a challenge I couldn’t resist. And since my post title is Best Gluten-Free Corn Muffins you already know which recipe I used to enter this contest.
With today’s post for the Best Gluten-Free Corn Muffins already planned for March Muffin Madness (MMM), I had to think of a way I could use my muffins to spell out gfe. With a little thinking, I came up with the solution below (a couple of versions/views shown).
It isn’t perfect or by any means a winning entry. I really could have used more of the same-sized mini muffins, but I still think my submission is cute.
Most importantly, I had fun. Hope you can see “gfe”! If you can’t, just pretend you can anyway (please … LOL).
Eating Your Words actually ends today at midnight. Like I said, I don’t expect to win any prizes; there are some pretty amazing entries that have been shared so far. But, I thought I’d take part just to have some fun.
Playing with food in this way is not something we often do, but we should. You might want to check back at those sites to see just how creative the entries are. I know I will; I love seeing creativity in action.
Even if the edible “words” of others are not all gluten free, it still will be enjoyable to take a look at all the entries—after all, there’s no risk of cross contamination from looking. (Oh, if only that were the case when eating out and sharing meals with others.) UPDATE: Part 1 is up here at Savor the Thyme and Part 2 is up here at Tangled Noodle. The entries are all amazing, but I have to say that the Scrabble Cookies are the prize winner in my book. Enjoy!
The Best Gluten-Free Corn Muffins
Let’s get to the gfe recipe behind the food play—today’s entry for the last day of MMM—shall we? Corn products like cornmeal and corn tortillas are something we can fall back on if we’re gluten free. (Of course, always read labels, etc. to ensure products are gluten free.)
Cornbread and corn muffins tend to be great comfort food for almost everyone. Case in point, the weather on the day of our last support group meeting was rainy and cold. When all the food was spread out on the table, we discovered that three of us had made corn muffins. How ’bout that?
There was one basket full of regular-sized muffins and two baskets of mini muffins (including my muffins made from this recipe). And guess what? I think every one of them got eaten! They tasted especially good that evening with a variety of dishes, including my black-eyed pea soup.
Depending upon how you make your corn muffins, they can be savory or sweet. Or a little of each, as is the case for these muffins—they are on the sweeter side of corny.
I discovered this evening that I have 8 muffin tins/pans. I know. I’m a little embarrassed to admit that. I have enough standard-sized tins to make 24 muffins, and I have five mini muffin pans … in all different sizes.
All mini muffin pans are not created equal, as you probably already know from your own experience and can see from my photos. The pan shown below is my “healthiest” and prettiest pan. It’s made of cast iron and was a gift from a dear friend at my bridal shower.
Yes, that was decades ago, but cast iron pans rarely need to be replaced. Although they may need to be re-“seasoned” from time to time; and they can crack if not handled properly.
Cast iron pots and pans also add a tiny amount of iron to the foods baked in them, which is a great thing for most folks. (However, if you have hemachromatosis, you’ll want to steer clear of using cast iron bakeware.)
Some More Gluten-Free Corn Muffin and Cornbread Recipes (Including Grain-Free Recipes)
~ Cornbread from Everyday Gluten-Free Gourmet
~ Flat and Firm Cornbread from gfe
~ Johnny Cake Muffins from The Mommy Bowl via gfe
~ No-Corn Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins from Allergy Free Alaska
~ Paleo Sweet “Cornbread” Muffins from Cassidy’s Craveable Creations via gfe
~ Pumpkin Corn Muffins from gfe
~ Sweet Cornbread Muffins from My Gluten-Free Kitchen via gfe
The Best Gluten-Free Corn Muffins Recipe
The secret to delicious rolls and bread options in many restaurants is honey. Honey is added to these corn muffins to give them not only that lovely bit of sweetness, but also to keep them from being dry. Nobody wants a dry corn muffin! Occasionally these muffins can be a tad crumbly, especially when made with granulated sugar (and, incidentally, adding xanthan gum does not change that), but we actually don’t mind. For one thing, they are just so tasty, but more importantly, the fact is that Mr. GFE and I often crumble them right into our chili or soup. There’s no need for gluten-free crackers!The Best Gluten-Free Corn Muffins
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Alisa - Frugal Foodie says
How did I miss this whole muffin madness thing? Those look wonderful – I am perusing your other muffin posts now 🙂
Shirley says
Hi Alisa–It’s hard to keep up, isn’t it? I know I haven’t been keeping up very well of late. Hope you enjoy the muffin recipes! 🙂
Shirley
The Diva on a Diet says
Wonderfully creative entry, Shirley! I can totally see the “gfe” … love it! So glad you had a chance to play along with this fun event.
And, who doesn’t love a corn muffin?! I like it when they’re crumbly because I like to serve them over chili as well. Yum!
Thanks so much for linking up too. 🙂
Shirley says
Thanks so much, Diva! It’s neat that it all worked out. Yours is the most beautiful and seasonally appropriate entry I’ve seen yet. 🙂
It’s definitely hard to beat a good corn muffin. Glad to know you are a fellow crumbler. 😉
My pleasure to link up! 🙂
Shirley
Janel (Eat Well with Janel) says
Hi Shirley! I see you have a Silpat – I was thinking of getting one! How do you like it? Is it nice and non-stick?
Shirley says
Hey Janel!–Silpats get awesome reviews, but I’ve used mine twice so far and, frankly, haven’t been thrilled. First, I used it with my coconut meringues and they stuck more than normal. Then I used it for garlic cheese biscuits and they were a totally greasy mess. I still haven’t been able to get that slightly greasy feeling off the surface of the Silpat from that experience. But, if you read on Amazon or epinions, people love them and say cookies slide off, you only need to wipe them clean with water, etc. Maybe when I use mine some more, I’ll feel differently. Perhaps I picked the worst two recipes to try on it. ? I’d keep asking around and read reviews online … I just may be an anomaly. 😉
Shirley
Nance says
That’s some advertising there! Nice when you can make your food work for you. LOL. I also love deep-fried corn fritters, which kill me to make because they pop all over me, and corn pancakes. I’m with the Diva above: who doesn’t love a corn muffin, to which I’d add “a corn ANYTHING”!?
Shirley says
Hi Nance–LOL … yeah, unpaid labor might as well be the food we love. 😉 Ah, corn fritters … delish. I hate that splattering and have one of those splatter screens, but I don’t think the food tastes as good when I use it. It seems to trap in the moisture or something. I like corn pancakes, too. I even made a cornmeal pound cake once … loved that as well. Does that mean you are a corn pudding, fan, too? I made that last week. Mr. GFE was never a fan until he tried mine. 😉 Yep, corn is pretty irresistible!
Shirley
Aubree Cherie says
I think you did an awesome job with the your blog name with the muffins. I can easily see it; very cool! 🙂
Shirley says
Hi Aubree–Awww, thanks so much! I was certain folks were laughing at my attempts when nobody commented for a while. 😉
Shirley
Tangled Noodle says
I, for one, adore corn muffins! I love that you’ve made these in all different shapes – the cast iron floral pan is beautiful.
Thanks to Diva at Beach Eats for connecting us and it’s great that you were able to adapt this for Eating Your Words! Happy to have you join in the fun!
Shirley says
Hi Tracey–Welcome to gfe! Thanks so much for stopping by and the very kind words … I know you are super busy with the Eating My Words challenge. 🙂 Such a great idea! I’ve added it to my calendar for next year … will have to think of something very special and plan ahead. 😉
Diva is a doll! I’m so glad I met her at BlogHer Food last year. 🙂 Took a quick look around your site … some gorgeous food and fun stuff there! I’ll be back. 😉
Shirley
Kim says
Love corn muffins!! I love the different shapes! 🙂
Shirley says
Hi Kim–Thanks! 🙂 So many corn muffin lovers … you can see why three batches would disappear at our meeting. 😉 The different shapes and sizes were fun … I really had no idea how it would all work out until I made them and started playing around with them.
Shirley
Linda says
Shirley, I’m so glad you’re enjoying the muffin challenge. These looks great. Thanks for sharing them at Gluten-Free Wednesdays.
Shirley says
Hi Linda–Thanks so much! It’s really been fun. I love how our blogs inspire us all. No need to be in a cooking/baking rut when we all have each other to get our creative juices flowing! 😉 I love Gluten-Free Wednesdays and your challenges. 🙂
Shirley
Alta says
I LOVE your cast iron muffin pan. And those corn muffins look lovely. My daughter LOVES corn muffins, and I have a surplus of cornmeal right now, so maybe I need to make some!
Shirley says
Thanks, Alta! The irony (ha ha) is that I have never used this muffin pan before. I have had it all these years and never tried it. I think I thought it would be a pan to clean and it got pushed way back in the cabinet. I dug it out the other day though (I was fearful that I’d lost it or given it away and forgotten). But, in the end, I’m actually glad that I had not used it, as this way I was sure it was gluten-free! 🙂 Hope your daughter and the rest of the family enjoys the muffins if you make them! I think she will. 😉
Shirley
Shirley says
Alta–Forgot to say that I was so busy with the gfe layout that I forgot to flip over the beautiful muffins that came out of that lovely cast iron pan. Darn it … I didn’t get that neat 3-D look.
Shirley
Casey M says
I made these last night and they were a huge hit, not to mention how fast they were to whip up! Thanks for the link and the kind words about my blog:)
Shirley says
Hi Casey–Ah, recipe feedback from a gfe reader—love it! I’m so glad your family enjoyed them. Thanks so much! 🙂 They truly are a gfe recipe, aren’t they? Somebody says “hey, how about corn muffins and a short time later, there they are.” No need to buy any prepackaged breads or rolls, when you can whip up fresh corn muffins easily. 😉
It was my pleasure to mention your blog … it is amazingly lovely–your work truly blows me away and I just love your “live your art” concept. My friend who also has an art journal and does similar style art work (the one I mentioned in my earlier comment) was very impressed! 🙂
Shirley
Brian says
Love the GFE made from muffins! Corn bread muffins go with so many things. Thanks for your version, they look delicious.
Shirley says
Hi Brian–Thanks for the feedback on gfe! I was challenged a bit. 😉 Yes, corn muffins are versatile and there are so many different versions—all good!
Shirley
Angela says
I did this in a square pan rather than muffins. I should have done it in a large pan like a 9×12. It took about 35 minutes to cook and was darker colored. But what was amazing was how you could taste the honey in each bite without adding extra. Excellent recipe we’ll use forever. Thank you!
Shirley says
Hi Angela–Welcome to gfe! I’m so glad you had success with the pan method, even if you did have to cook it a bit longer. I’m so happy you shared with us. I took a quick look at your blog and your personal finance challenge. I’m sure that will help many. You have such a beautiful family. 😉 I hope that my gfe approach will allow you to eat gluten free with no additional cost over that of someone who eats gluten. That’s certainly one reason behind eating gfe, as well as simplicity and health. FYI–I also have a flat and firm, round cornbread recipe here that requires no gf flour. You can check that out here. The buttermilk required can be easily “made” using milk and vinegar. 🙂
Thanks again, Angela! Hope to see you hear often!
Shirley
Chelsey says
I just made cornbread today. My first batch GF. It was great except I used some dry thyme-something I will not add next time. Too bad I hadn’t seen this post earlier or I would have used your recipe. I ended up converting one out of cooking light magazine.
Shirley says
Hey Chelsey–I have been tempted by recipes with herbs before, but in the end I usually stick with a more basic cornbread or muffin. Dried herbs can be too strong or too dry (LOL) to me. Fresh herbs can work better if one wants them, but Mr. GFE and Son usually like the basic recipes and I agree most of the time. Glad you still thought yours was great though! It always feels to good to convent and have success. Cornbread recipes are fairly amenable to conversion I think. My cornbread recipe here at gfe actually doesn’t even include any flour, so it was naturally gf (the ultimate gfe recipe!). 🙂
Shirley
Nachiketa says
WOW!!!
What lovely use of conmeal to write ure blog name…
Very creative entry for “Eating your Words Challenge’
The Variable – Nachiketa
Crazy Over Desserts – The Variable, Nachiketa
clear
Shirley says
Hi Nachiketa–Thanks very much! 🙂 I was amazed by all the entries and have enjoyed checking out the various blogs, like yours. You did a wonderful, colorful job on your “words” entry. 🙂
Shirley
Ari@ The Frugally Rich Life says
These look great! Sorry I’m so far behind on reading my reader! lol…I’m almost half way with the 300+ recipe posts I have to read! (let alone comment on some) and save them! lol.
This looks just like my mom’s cornbread recipe that uses honey too. I adore it and even previous to my sugar-free days preferred it to one made with cane sugar. 🙂 I’ll have to post the original and altered recipe sometime! I just checked, thinking I had posted it a long time ago…nope! 🙂
Thanks again! These look great!
Shirley says
Hi Ari–I can NEVER keep up with my reader. I gave up trying … if a blog doesn’t have email subscription, I just have to check it when I remember. Honey is a wonderful alternative sweetener, but, of course, I’d say that coming from a family that raises bees. 😉 Seriously, honey is just terrific in certain recipes. Look forward to your post of your mom’s recipe! 🙂
Shirley
Theresa says
Found your blog in my quest to make our Thanksgiving allergy friendly for our whole family. The muffins were awesome! Since I was running low on honey, I used 1/4 c honey and 1/4 cup brown sugar. I also replaced the butter with apple sauce. The result was fab and they weren’t crumbly at all! Thanks!
Shirley says
Hi Theresa–Welcome to gfe! 🙂 Great news on the muffins … thanks so much for sharing. 🙂 I’ll make your version next time. 😉
Hope you had a great Thanksgiving! Hope to see you again here at gfe,
Shirley
Thia says
Oh, I love cast iron, and would so love to find one like the flower one you have here! Different patterns were so easy to find years ago…today, not so much. 🙁 I used to have one that made various flower shaped muffins, and another with variously positioned teddy bears. Sadly, I lost them both many years ago, in a move. 🙁
Shirley says
Thia–I always feel embarrassed when I miss a reader’s comment. I am so sorry. I hope you find a flower-shaped muffin pan. That teddy bear muffin pan sounds very cool, too. So sad that you lost them. Cast iron is so great.
Shirley
Thia says
No worries, Shirley! Yes, I love the cast iron that I do have!
🙂
Shelly says
Shirley, you never let me down! When my daughter asked for muffins today and I knew my flour supply was pretty low, I was worried I was going to have to say not possible today. But as always, I checked your site and found these corn muffins. With a few tweaks for what I had on hand, 3 parts white rice to 1 part cornstarch, and olive oil in place of butter, added a cup of blueberries and baked them in muffin tin liners, 20 minutes later… I had perfection! She is gobbling them up warm as we speak! I may or may not have had 2 myself 😉 Thanks for always making things GFE!
Shirley says
Oh, Shelly, you are so sweet! I’m thrilled that you made a super successful version using ingredients on hand and adding some blueberries. I haven’t actually added blueberries to my corn muffins yet, but I need to do that next time for sure. 🙂
xo,
Shirley
Anne says
This recipe was delicious! I used the batter to top a BBQ chicken casserole & had a bit left over for some muffins. I sub’d coconut oil for the butter & it worked great. I’ve always preferred honey in cornbread. When I make them next time as muffins I’ll add some dried rosemary, too. Thanks for a great & easy recipe!
Shirley says
Yippee, Anne! Using this recipe as batter to top a barbecue chicken casserole is a fantastic idea. 🙂 I’m happy to hear about the coconut oil substitution, too, as I hadn’t tried that yet. Adding dried rosemary to the muffins sounds lovely, too. Thanks so much for the terrific review/feedback!
Shirley
Shannon says
I won’t be using this recipe again,after 25 minutes the outer portion looked great, but the inside was mushy and doughy. U will continue on my gf journey.
Shirley says
Shannon–I’m sorry the recipe didn’t turn out when you made it. Tons of folks have made these successfully and loved them. Did you make any substitutions by any chance?
Shirley
Anne says
This time I substituted grapeseed oil for the melted butter… might be my favorite result yet! Faster, too, if you’re in a hurry!
Shirley says
Yay! That’s really great news, Anne. I do love using grapeseed oil and well and faster is always good. Will have to share your tip with my Facebook readers. 🙂
Thanks for taking the time to share your new success with this recipe with us all!
Shirley
Kaitlyn says
Thank you for this recipe! It’s the first gluten-free cornbread muffin one that I’ve tried that didn’t turn out too dry. Sweetening with honey is a real stroke of brilliance. Just delicious. 🙂
Shirley says
Hi Kaitlyn–Welcome to gfe! 🙂 And what a great comment to get first thing this morning … thanks so very much! Now I want to make my corn muffins. They’d be great for breakfast, right? 😉
Shirley
Chrissa - Physical Kitchness says
OH YAY! I always crave cornbread with my chili in the fall but can never have it 🙁 Totally making these! Glad I found you on the allergy free Wednesday link party!
Shirley says
Hi Chrissa–Welcome to gfe! I’m happy to be introduced to your blog, Physical Kitchness, too. 🙂 So happy these corn muffins appeal to you! I’d say that eating them with chili is our favorite way to enjoy them. 😉
Shirley
Julie Fiedler says
Hi 🙂
Really looking forward to trying these. I might just be missing this, but if I were to use standard muffin tins, how many servings/muffins would the listed ingredients make? Thanks much!
Shirley says
Hi Julie–Welcome to gfe! I hope you really enjoy these muffins! Gosh, my apologies on that omission. I think I left out the number of muffins because I was making all different sized muffins from this recipe when I did this post. The recipe makes about 12 regular-sized muffins. I will add the info to the recipe. Thanks so much leaving this comment!
Shirley
Yvonne says
I love this recipe, it is always delicious . I use pamelas artisan flour. They are always perfect,my family loves them. Wonderful,easy recipe.
Shirley says
Hi Yvonne–It looks like you are new to gfe–welcome! 🙂 Thanks so much for taking the time to leave this wonderful review. I so appreciate it and I know others will find your review helpful, too.
Happy holidays!
Shirley
Megan says
Hi there, I went to make these muffins today and noticed baking powder is made from wheat. Don’t know if it is different in the US but in Aust it is. I had to use GF self raising instead. ?
Shirley Braden says
Hi Megan–Welcome to gfe! 🙂 Baking powder in the U.S. is typically gluten free. I’ve not yet found a brand that is not gf. I always urge folks to read labels though. I wasn’t aware that baking powder was not always gf in Australia, but thanks for educating us all. I was just researching and learned that there is a brand called McKenzies in Australia that is gf. However, an easy gluten-free substitute for baking powder wherever one lives is: ½ teaspoon of cream of tartar and ¼ tsp of baking soda for every teaspoon of baking powder. That’s right; it’s not a one-for-one substitute. Less is needed of this substitute than of ready-made baking powder. Hope that helps for the future, Megan! Also, I hope you enjoyed the muffins!
Shirley
Megan says
Thankyou, I use this recipe all the time and they are beautiful. I only use a tablespoon of honey tho as I prefer mine not sweet. ? Thankyou for a wonderful recipe!
Shirley Braden says
Hi Megan–I’m so happy that this recipe has become a favorite for you! And I’m really impressed that you can reduce the amount of honey that greatly. I will give that a go next time. 🙂
Thanks so much for taking the time to leave this review and share your tip!
Shirley
April J Harris says
What a fun thing to do with the blog names! Your Gluten-Free Corn Muffins look delicious! I’ve shared them on Stumble Upon. Thank you for bringing this post to the Hearth and Soul Hop, Shirley.
Shirley Braden says
Thanks so much for sharing this post on Stumble Upon, April! I personally loved the Scrabble cookies. Did you check those out? Amazing!! Happy to share on Hearth and Soul, of course!
Shirley
Debbie says
I made these, tonight, with a Hamburger Chowder. Can we say YUMMY!! Thanks for posting this recipe. BTW- they turned out great!!!
Shirley Braden says
Hi Debbie–It’s great to see you here at gfe again! 🙂 Chowder and corn muffins sound like a terrific combo for a Friday night meal during winter and I’m so glad you all really enjoyed these corn muffins! I really appreciate you taking the time to share your lovely review with everyone.
Happy weekend!
Shirley
Laurie says
Thank you for posting this recipe because I was craving corn muffins! Here’s what I did to adapt: I made corn meal using popcorn kernels. Substituted buttermilk for milk and added 1 teaspoon of baking soda to your recipe. Used mostly coconut sugar, but leveled off the 1/2 cup of coconut sugar with honey. Made 6 big muffins instead of 12 smaller ones. These are so good! I enjoy adapting recipes to what I have on hand. Still ended up with delicious results!
Shirley Braden says
Hi Laurie–Wow, that’s awesome!! I confess that I’ve never thought of making corn meal that way! And I love that you were able to adapt this recipe to your needs. I always encourage everyone to do that because my personal needs and preferences are always changing and I change up my recipes and others all the time. 😉 Thanks so much for taking the time to comment!
Shirley