Butternut Squash Cornbread Muffins

posted on December 7, 2014

Butternut Squash Cornbread Muffins are the moistest cornbread muffins ever with a mild, sweet butternut squash flavor.  They’re a great way to change up traditional cornbread, and are delicious served with soup and chili!

butternut squash cornbread muffins1 | flavorthemoments.com

I’ve been bombarding you with Christmas sweets and I feel kind of bad…so here are some healthier but extra delicious cornbread muffins!  Healthier because they’re packed with butternut squash for added nutrition, and the butter was subbed out for heart healthy canola oil.  One bite will fool you into thinking that these aren’t healthy, and I love that.  We wouldn’t want to sacrifice cornbread with a tender crumb for cardboard would we?  Trust me, there’s no worrying about that here. 🙂

butternut squash cornbread muffins2 | flavorthemoments.com

I incorporated sweet potato puree in in my Tender Buttery Sweet Potato Biscuits with rave reviews, so it was about time I did something like that with butternut squash.  I can’t believe I’ve never baked with butternut squash puree before, because I use it like crazy!  Normally I roast the butternut squash and puree it myself, but I spied cans of butternut squash puree at Whole Foods and scooped some up.  Store bought puree meant delicious biscuits were on the table in a fraction of the time.  So much easier. 🙂

butternut squash cornbread muffins3 | flavorthemoments.com

I adapted these muffins from my Buttery Maple Skillet Cornbread, which is incredible.  HOWEVER….I wanted to make these a bit lighter, and I felt that by using canola oil instead of butter, the butternut squash flavor could shine through that much more.  It’s very subtle, and if you didn’t know that butternut squash puree was in these muffins, you couldn’t really tell that much.  Nobody in my family pinpointed it, which means it’s a wonderful way to get picky eaters more nutrition.

butternut squash cornbread muffins4 | flavorthemoments.com

You may not be able to pick up the butternut squash flavor much, but the moistness the puree lends to the cornbread is unmatchable.  These muffins have the most tender crumb ever, and you won’t miss the butter!  A squeeze of honey on these is perfect, and if you’re craving butter, by all means enjoy one with a little pat.  I served these up with roast chicken and veggies, but I can’t wait to enjoy them with soup or chili.  After all, I still have a half a can of puree left.  That means more muffins soon, and that’s very exciting stuff. 🙂

butternut squash cornbread muffins5 | flavorthemoments.com

 

Butternut Squash Cornbread Muffins and an Amazon Giveaway!
 
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Butternut Squash Cornbread Muffins are the moistest cornbread muffins ever with a mild, sweet butternut squash flavor. They're a great way to change traditional cornbread, and are delicious served with soup and chili!
Serves: 12 muffins
Ingredients
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar*
  • 1 cup buttermilk (I used low fat)*
  • ⅓ cup canola oil
  • ¾ cup butternut squash puree*
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a standard muffin pan with paper liners, or spray the muffin cavities with cooking spray. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, beat the egg lightly. Add the brown sugar, buttermilk, canola oil, and puree, and whisk until combined. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir together until just incorporated. Pour into the prepared muffin pan and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 15 minutes or until lightly golden on top and the muffins spring back when gently pressed. Cool on a wire rack in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool completely, or enjoy warm! Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
Total time above includes 10 minutes of cooling time.

*If using paper liners, the liners will stick to the muffins if they're not warm. If you microwave them for a few seconds, the paper will come right off.

*Granulated sugar, maple syrup, or honey may be substituted for the brown sugar.

*No buttermilk? Simply place regular milk in a measuring cup with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and let stand at room temperature for 15-20 minutes. Instant buttermilk!

*I used store bought butternut squash puree for this recipe, which I found at Whole Foods. Alternatively you can cut a butternut squash in half, remove the seeds, and rub with olive oil. Roast cut side down on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until tender, scoop out the flesh, and puree.

Recipe by Flavor the Moments.

 

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