Tex Mex Corn Bread Muffins

These muffins are tasty and easy to make as a dinner side. They go great with BBQ, Ribs, Steak and Tex-Mex food in general. The muffins take about 40 minutes to make and will keep well in an air tight container for about two days. If you are feeling more naughty, these muffins can further flavored by adding a sharp cheese such as Cheddar, or going whole go with home made bacon bits. However, I find them plenty enjoyable with the sweet red pepper and the fresh cilantro providing the flavor. This recipe also goes great as a side with my Tex-Mex Black Bean Soup recipe. 

The Final Product - Corn Bread Muffins

Tex-Mex Corn Bread Muffins Recipe
Ingredients:
	1 1/4 Cups (300ml) Cornmeal
	1/4 Chopped fresh Cilantro
	1 1/2 TSP Baking Powder
	1/2 TSP (1ml) Salt
	1 1/2 Cups (375ml) Buttermilk
	2 TBSP (30 ml), Unsalted Butter melted
	1/2 Cup (125ml) Chopped Sweet Red Pepper (About 1/2 a large Red Pepper)
	2 TBSP (30ml) Chopped Jalapeño Pepper Pickled (Optional)
Steps:
	1) Grease with Cooking Spray or Wiping with Oil muffin cups. Pre-Heat oven to 400F
	2) In a large bowl mix dry ingredients - cornmeal, flour, coriander, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
	3) In a medium sized bowl mix wet ingredients - beaten eggs, buttermilk and melted butter.
	4) Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients.
	5) Add red pepper and Jalapeno and stir into batter.
	6) Pour batter into muffin tin.  Cook for 25 minutes at 400F
	7) Let cool for 2 minutes and then transfer to cooling rack.
	8) Best served hot or store in air tight container for up to two days.

Substitutions and Additions:

• For a more savory muffin you could switch the fresh coriander for fresh Italian coarse parsley.
• For a more flavorful muffin add two green onions sliced.
• For a more flavorful and naughty muffin mix in 1/2 cup of old Cheddar or Monterrey Jack into the batter.
• For an even more naughty muffin make homemade bacon bits with 3 strips of bacon and add cooled bacon to batter.

Ingredients for Tex-Mex Corn Bread Muffins

Note: The fresh cilantro is omitted in this picture and I have substituted green onion.  The recipe tastes better in my mind with the cilantro and the green onion.

Steps 2 & 3: Wet and Dry Ingredients before Mixing

Step 5: Batter after Combining all Ingredients

Corn Bread Muffins out of the Oven

Corn Bread Muffins Cooling on the Rack

The Final Product - Corn Bread Muffins