Pumpkin Cornbread: With Cinnamon Honey Butter

Turns out that the sweet and earthy savor of pumpkin purée complements the archetype savor and texture of cornbread veritably beautifully. And when made with a rich and nutty browned butter batter, lightly sweetened with honey, and baked up until perfect light and fluffy, this pumpkin cornbread recipe will likely steal the show at your next dinner. We can’t stop making it here in our kitchen!

You’re welcome to customize yours with any spare mix-ins that you might love, such as nuts, zestless fruit, or a handful of cheese. I’ve included notes for how to hands make this recipe gluten-free, if you prefer. And while the cornbread is succulent on its own, I’m going to highly recommend that you make a quick batch of honey butter to serve with it. Because melted into a slice hot out of the oven? Oh my goodness, there’s nothing better.

PUMPKIN CORNBREAD INGREDIENTS

Here are some quick notes regarding the pumpkin cornbread ingredients you'll need for this recipe:

• Pumpkin purée: In addition to keeping the cornbread wet, pumpkin purée offers a delightful earthy sweetness that pairs well with the cornmeal taste.
• Cornmeal is the major ingredient in cornbread, adding delicious corn flavor and a little gritty texture to the bread that is always so nostalgic. For this dish, I suggest using fine- or medium-ground yellow cornmeal.
• Butter: We'll brown a stick of unsalted butter and add it to the cornmeal for an appealing touch of nutty, caramelized, rich flavour.
• Honey: Honey is my favorite sweetener for cornbread since it improves the cornmeal's naturally earthy and sweet taste.
• Flour: We normally use ordinary all-purpose flour in this recipe, but you could alternatively use a gluten-free all-purpose flour mix.
• Baking powder and baking soda: These two leavening ingredients combine to make the bread light and fluffy.
• Seasonings: Finally, I like to sprinkle the bread with a little amount of ground cinnamon and fine sea salt to bring out the best in all of these delightful tastes.

HOW TO MAKE CORNBREAD

Full instructions for how to make pumpkin cornbread are included in the recipe below, but here is a quick overview with a few additional tips!

1. Brown the butter. This simple step adds an irresistible depth of nutty, rich flavor to the bread. As always, keep a close eye on the butter once it begins to brown so that it does not burn.
2. Mix the dry ingredients, then add the wet ingredients. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Then create a well in the center and add the browned butter, pumpkin puree and honey, followed by the eggs, until everything is combined. Avoid overmixing!
3. Bake. Press the batter evenly into the parchment-covered 9 x 9-inch baking pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cornbread comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let it cool for at least 15 minutes, if you can wait that long. ;)
4. Serve. Slice, serve and enjoy!

Recipe Variations 

Here are a few more variants you may try with this brown butter pumpkin cornbread recipe.

• Cook in a cast-iron pan: Brown the butter in a 9-inch skillet before transferring it to a separate bowl. Wipe off the skillet briefly before transferring it to the preheated oven. Remove and pour the prepared batter into the heated skillet, which will assist to make an extra-delicious bottom crust for the cornbread, then bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
• To taste, season with more herbs (such as rosemary, sage, thyme, or chives) or spices (such as dried ginger, nutmeg, cloves, or allspice).
• Add dried fruit or nuts: 1/2 cup chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, or almonds) or dried berries (cranberries or cherries).
• Add cheese: Use 1 cup freshly grated cheese, such as strong cheddar, gouda, fontina, or Parmesan.