To me, fall is the perfect time of year to eat chili.
Something about the cool weather, dark evenings, and football playing in the background just beckons me to eat a big bowl of hot chili.
I love to eat mine topped with sour cream, cheddar cheese, and oyster crackers. Mmmmmm.
When I’m feeling particularly health conscious I eat my chili straight up, and this recipe is so very good that it can absolutely stand alone and be eaten plain!
I know it’s a bold claim…to be the best traditional chili, but in my opinion it is! Try it and let me know what you think :)
Just as peas are to carrots and peanut butter is to jelly, chili and cornbread are a winning combo.
Not all corn bread is created equal however!
Soooo many cornbread recipes turn out dry and crumbly. You need a thick pat of butter just to choke down a dry slice of cornbread and even then it leaves you wishing it was so much better.
I think cornbread should be moist, cakey, and slightly sweet.
That’s how I like mine anyway.
Most often I’ll whip up a batch of cornbread using the recipe on the back of the cornmeal canister and it’s always turned out ok. It’s not terribly dry, but not terribly amazing either.
We slap some butter on it and gobble it up with our chili, which is the real star of the show.
I’ve been scouting around for a better recipe and I think I may stop my search now that I’ve found this one!
It’s incredibly moist and cakey with the perfect amount of sweetness (you could reduce the sugar if you like yours less sweet) and it was so tasty we didn’t even butter it!
YUM.
I think it may have had something to do with the stick of butter and cup of buttermilk ;)
This is not a light, low-cal, gluten-free healthy cornbread.
This is a rich and delicious indulgent cornbread and really, why mess around with any other kind?
Another thing I loved about this recipe is that the batter is made right in the saucepan you use to melt the butter! I’m all about saving a dish and having less to wash later.
Without further ado, here’s the simple, yet delicious recipe!
- ½ cup butter
- ⅔ cup white sugar (you can reduce to ½ cup for a less sweet version)
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Preheat oven to 375*F and grease an 8 inch square pan with butter.
- Melt stick of butter in large saucepan.
- Remove from heat and stir in sugar until fully combined.
- Add eggs and immediately beat by hand (with a whisk) until well blended.
- Combine buttermilk with baking soda first, then stir into butter/sugar/egg mixture in saucepan.
- Add cornmeal, flour, and salt and stir until well blended.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer.
- Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (I recommend starting with 25 minutes and increasing by 2 minutes each time until it's fully cooked...don't over bake and dry it out!)
