Sweet and juicy blackberries paired with tender cornbread make these blackberry cornbread muffins the perfect breakfast or snack! The contrast between the dark purple berries and the yellow cornmeal muffins makes these some of the prettiest muffins ever. Plus they’re super quick and easy to make. To me, these muffins just scream summer, but they’re perfect anytime of year.
These muffins are lightly sweetened with honey, and I love serving them with a smear of honey butter! These muffins are also the perfect side dish to bring to a BBQ. Since they’re in muffin form, they’re already split into individual portions!
These blackberry cornbread muffins also have the most amazing texture! Unlike some cornbread muffins, which can be dry and dense, these muffins are super fluffy and moist. They have the perfect balance between the slightly coarse cornmeal and tender crumb.
Best of all, these cornbread muffins are low in sugar and fat, and made with whole grains like cornmeal and whole wheat flour for a nutritious twist.
Does sugar belong in cornbread?
This is a hotly debated topic across the United States. Some people say that sugar ABSOLUTELY does not belong in cornbread while others add so much it tastes more like cake! It turns out that this is kind of a trick question! There are two styles of cornbread: Northern cornbread and Southern cornbread.
Northern cornbread is made with more flour and sugar so it tastes sweeter and fluffier, sort of like a cake. On the other hand, Southern cornbread is made with mostly cornmeal and usually doesn’t contain sugar so it’s denser and usually paired with more savory dishes.
This recipe for blackberry cornbread muffins is kind of a blend of the two styles. While it does use flour to achieve a fluffier and lighter texture like Northern cornbread, it uses very little sugar, similar to Southern cornbread. If you prefer to have a sweeter cornbread muffin, feel free to increase the sugar in this recipe!
What’s the deal with cornmeal?
Cornbread muffins get their name from one of their main ingredients – yellow cornmeal! This wonderful ingredient adds that classic crumbly texture. Cornmeal is a coarse flour that is ground from dried corn and you can often find it in fine, medium, and coarse textures. Using coarse cornmeal will result in a more crumbly and grainy muffin. It is often used in pizza or bread making. For this recipe, I recommend using fine or medium texture cornmeal for the best muffins. If you only have coarse cornmeal, you can try blitzing it in a high speed blender to grind it into a smoother texture.
Another reason I love baking with cornmeal is all of its wonderful health benefits. Cornmeal is packed full of nutrients and complex carbs like fiber which keeps us healthy and strong. It even comes with some protein!
Other ingredients in these blackberry cornbread muffins:
- Flour – These muffins are made with a blend of cornmeal, all purpose flour, and whole wheat flour. I find that this gives the perfect balance of fluffy and crumbly texture. If you don’t have whole wheat flour, you can substitute more all purpose flour. You can also increase the whole wheat flour to 1 cup and reduce the all purpose flour to 1 cup for a more nutritious muffins, although they’ll be slightly denser.
- Baking powder – This recipe calls for 1 1/2 tablespoons of baking powder which may seem like too much, but it is necessary because the cornmeal makes the batter very heavy. Make sure that your baking powder is not expired. Also make sure you are using baking powder, not baking soda!
- Salt
- Butter
- Eggs – This recipe calls for 3 eggs, preferably at room temperature. Room temperature ingredients are important for two reasons. 1) It prevents the melted butter from solidifying when mixed together 2) They allow for a higher rise in the oven. If you don’t have time to let the eggs come to room temp, you can try running warm water over them or just use them cold. The muffins will still be amazing!
- Honey – This recipe calls for a little bit of honey as the main sweetener. I love the combination of floral honey with blackberries, but if you don’t have honey, you can substitute maple syrup or granulated sugar.
- Vanilla extract – Although vanilla might not be traditional for cornbread, I love how it pairs with the blueberries in these muffins.
- Milk – You can use whole milk or low fat milk for this recipe. Similarly to the eggs, use room temp milk for the best results, although it isn’t crucial.
- Plain yogurt – This might be a surprising ingredient, but it keeps these muffins extra moist while reducing the amount of butter in this recipe. If you don’t have any yogurt, you can use applesauce, buttermilk, pumpkin puree, or oil.
- Blackberries – I recommend using fresh sweet blackberries for the best flavor, but you can also use frozen berries. If using frozen berries, do not let them thaw. Simply add them into the batter frozen. Feel free to replace the blackberries with any of your favorite fruits! I recommend blueberries, diced strawberries, and peaches.
Tips and notes for making these blackberry cornbread muffins:
- Why the change in temperature while baking? These muffins are baked at 400ºF for 5 minutes and then at 350ºF for another 15-19 minutes. The initial burst of high temperature allows the muffins to rise super tall. Then the temperature is turned down so that they can finish cooking without burning.
- How to get a golden brown top? If at the end of baking, your muffins are still pale on top, you can broil them for 1-2 minutes to get some color on top. Just make sure to keep an eye on them as things can burn quickly under the broiler!
- Don’t over mix! Over mixing can lead to a tough or dense muffin. It’s ok if there are a few small lumps in your batter!
If you liked these blackberry cornbread muffins, you might also like…
- Healthier Blueberry Maple Oat Muffins
- Pumpkin Pecan Skillet Cornbread
- Bakery Style Cornbread Muffins
- Pumpkin Pecan Skillet Cornbread
- Healthy Breakfast Muffins
- Healthy One Bowl Berry Cake
- Healthy Berry Clafoutis
- Healthy Morning Glory Muffins
Healthier Blackberry Cornbread Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour or substitute all purpose flour
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 3 tablespoons honey or granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
- 1 1/4 cups milk preferably room temperature
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt or substitute unsweetened applesauce, buttermilk, or oil
- 2 cups blackberries rinsed and halved
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line a muffin tin with paper liners or grease well.
- In a large bowl, whisk together all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together melted butter and eggs until smooth and well combined. Then whisk in the honey, vanilla extract, milk, and yogurt.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined. Then stir in the blackberries. Be careful not to over mix. Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared muffin tin (it will be very full).
- Bake the muffins at 400ºF for 5 minutes. Then turn the temperature down to 350ºF (do not open the oven door during this time) and bake for another 15-19 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Once done baking, serve the muffins warm and allow any leftovers to finish cooling on a wire rack. Enjoy (especially with some extra honey and butter)!
Notes
Nutrition facts (per muffin): 212 calories, 33 grams carbs, 6 grams sugar, 6 grams fat, 6 grams protein
Nutrition disclaimer: The information shown above is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. The exact nutrition facts will vary depending on your specific ingredients and you should always talk with a professional for health guidance!
Adding buttermilk sounds better than yogurt.
Hi Dee, you can certainly substitute buttermilk for the yogurt!