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I am a sucker for good cornbread, and I have never met a form I didn’t like. Drizzled with honey, filled with peppers, made in a muffin pan or a cast-iron skillet. You name it, I like it. But I think I may have conquered them all! Jalapeño popper stuffed cornbread! That’s right, stuffed! We all love a good jalapeño cheddar cornbread, but imagine taking that up a notch by stuffing an entire jalapeño popper into the center of each piece? Sweet, spicy, creamy, summer barbecue perfection!
Bacon Cheddar Cornbread
Though a recipe like this seems out of the box, I do my best to balance that out by using easy ingredients or some kitchen shortcuts. In this case, I start with 2 boxes of Jiffy cornbread mix, and flavor will do! Of course you are welcome to use any brand of cornbread mix, or even your favorite recipe. But for someone who hates measuring, this is as easy as it gets. I mix this according to box directions, 1/3 cup of milk and 1 egg per box.
Once the mix is pretty well combined add in 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar, 8 strips cooked bacon, chopped, and ⅓ cup chopped green onions chopped small. Mixed until all of the ingredients are fully combined.
Next, preheat the oven to 385℉. Meanwhile, spray a 12 cup standard-sized muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray. (Pro tip, if you have a jumbo muffin tin, this is the PERFECT recipe to whip it out. The depth of the pan is perfect for stuffing!). Fill each muffin cup about 2/3 of the way full, and set aside.
Jalapeño Popper Stuffed Cornbread
Now that the cornbread base is ready, and trust me, it is perfect on its own, it’s time turn these into jalapeño popper stuffed cornbread muffins! Start by cutting off the tops of 12 jalapeños, making the cut about 1/3 of the way from the stem. There should be about 1¼-1½ inch of the bottom of the jalapeño left. Use a small spoon or teaspoon to hollow out each jalapeño bottom, scooping out the seeds and inner membrane. This leaves room for filling and also reduces the heat.
In each muffin cup, place a hollowed-out jalapeño, open side facing up, into the center of each cup of batter.Next, to a piping bag or ziplock bag, add in about 6oz of softened cream cheese. Cut a ½ inch hole at the tip. Pipe the softened cream cheese into the center of each jalapeño, filling it completely. It’s okay if the cream cheese comes out the top or gets into the cornbread batter.Now, you will want to take a generous amounts of some more shredded cheddar, about 2-3tbsp per muffin, and pack it on top of each muffin cup, covering the cream cheese and batter.
Bake for 17-20 minutes for small muffin cups, 25-28 minutes for larger ones, for until the cheese if golden brown on top and a fork or toothpick comes out clean after being inserted. In this case, be sure to look for wet batter on the fork, ignoring the cream cheese, as that will stick to a fork or toothpick no matter what!
Remove from oven and allow the muffins to cool 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Serve warm or cool completely and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week. These jalapeño popper stuffed cornbread muffins are the perfect backyard barbecue side dish. Spicy, creamy, and packed with bacon and cheese, what’s not to love?
Want More Easy Summer Sides?
- Elote (Mexican Street Corn)
- Watermelon Cucumber Salad
- Grilled Asparagus Salad
- Caprese Pasta Salad
- BLTA Pasta Salad
Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Cornbread
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 385℉
- In a mixing bowl, combine cornbread mix, eggs, and milk until mostly smooth.2 8.5 oz boxes Jiffy Cornbread mix, 2 large eggs, ⅔ cup milk
- Add in 1½ cups of shredded cheddar, chopped bacon, and green onions. Mix until all well combined.3 cups shredded cheddar, 8 strips cooked bacon, ⅓ cup chopped green onions
- Spray a 12 muffin pan with nonstick cooking/baking spray, and fill each cup about ⅔ of the way full with muffin batter.
- Meanwhile, cut off the tops of each jalapeño. There should be about 1¼-1½ inch of the bottom of the jalapeño left. Use a small spoon or teaspoon to hollow out each jalapeño bottom, scooping out the seeds and inner membrane.12 small jalapeños
- In each muffin cup, place a hollowed out jalapeño, open side facing up, into the center of each cup of batter.6 oz cream cheese
- To a piping bag or ziplock bag, add in the softened cream cheese and cut a ½ inch hole at the tip.6 oz cream cheese
- Pipe the softened cream cheese into the center of each jalapeño, filling it completely. It is okay if the cream cheese comes out the top or gets into the cornbread batter.
- Take a generous amount of the remaining shredded cheddar, about 2-3tbsp, and pack it on top of each muffin cup, covering the cream cheese and batter.3 cups shredded cheddar
- Bake for 17-20 minutes for small muffin cups, 25-28 minutes for larger ones, for until the cheese if golden brown on top and a fork or toothpick comes out clean after being inserted (be sure to look for wet batter on the fork, ignoring the cream cheese).
- Remove from oven and allow to cool 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Serve warm or cool completely and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.
