Butternut Squash Cornbread Muffins

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Butternut Squash Cornbread Muffins are easy cornbread muffins with sweet butternut squash flavor.  They’re a great way to change up traditional cornbread!

I’ve been bombarding you with Christmas sweets and I feel kind of bad…so here are some healthier but extra delicious cornbread muffins!  

Because we can’t live on Christmas cookies alone. 🙂

Butternut squash cornbread muffins

Cornbread can be on the dry side, but these cornbread muffins are special.  The butternut squash makes them nice and moist, and who can resist that beautiful color?

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. 🙂

I incorporated sweet potato puree in in my 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 cornbread muffins were on the table in a fraction of the time. 🙂

I adapted this cornbread muffin recipe from my Skillet Cornbread Recipe, which is incredible.  HOWEVER….I wanted to make these a bit lighter, and I felt that by using oil instead of butter, the butternut squash flavor could shine through that much more. The flavor is 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.

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. 🙂

Serve these cornbread muffins with the following dishes:

White bean turkey chili

Spatchcock chicken

Instant pot pulled pork

Guinness beef chili

More cornbread recipes you’ll love:

Blueberry cornbread

Buttermilk cornbread

Skillet cornbread

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Butternut Squash Cornbread Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Butternut Squash Cornbread Muffins are easy cornbread muffins with sweet butternut squash flavor.  They're a great way to change up traditional cornbread!

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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 maple syrup
• 1 cup low fat buttermilk
• ⅓ cup 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.

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat the egg lightly. Add the maple syrup, buttermilk, canola oil, and puree, and whisk until combined.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir together until just incorporated.
4. Divide the batter evenly into the muffin cups 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.
5. 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

• 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.
• Honey or granulated sugar may be subbed for the maple syrup.
• 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.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1 muffin
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 162Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 312mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 1gSugar: 4gProtein: 3g

Nutrition information is mean to be an estimate only. The numbers will vary based on the quantity consumed, brands used and substitutions that are made.

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