Maple and brown sugar is an iconic flavor duo that evokes the spirit of Autumn, so why not incorporate it into your Thanksgiving cornbread?

Cornbread is one of my favorite breads to bake in general. However, during Thanksgiving, my fondness for it intensifies. It serves as an excellent base for stuffing and is a must-have in my bread basket. My seasonal love for cornbread inspired me to give my standard recipe a holiday-themed twist. Thus, the idea for Maple and Brown Sugar Cornbread was born.

The warm, sweet flavors of maple and brown sugar envelop my wonderfully moist cornbread inside and out, creating a perfect accompaniment to your savory turkey dinner.

Maple Brown Sugar Cornbread

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

¼ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup light brown 

1 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

3/4 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons robust maple syrup

½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Topping

1 TBSP salted butter, room temperature

½ TBSP robust maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 8x8 square cake pan with cooking spray. 

In a small pot or saucepan, melt the butter together with the maple syrup. Once everything is completely melted, put aside to cool. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, both sugars and salt.

Then in a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and buttermilk until the eggs are fully incorporated into the buttermilk.

Add the buttermilk and maple butter mixtures to the dry ingredients. Stir until all the dry ingredients are mixed in. Do not over mix; it's okay if there are a few lumps. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread out evenly with a rubber spatula. 

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until it’s a beautiful golden brown.  While you’re waiting for the cornbread to bake, combine the softened salted butter with half a tablespoon of maple syrup. Mix together until maple syrup is fully incorporated into the butter, put aside. 

Once baked, brush the maple butter onto the hot cornbread with a pastry brush. Cool the cornbread for a few minutes in the pan, then serve warm and enjoy. 

*Notes:

Take care not to overmix the cornbread batter, if over mixed the batter will not rise properly. You just want to mix it enough to incorporate all the dry ingredients and butter. 

Using a good quality butter is the key to having a very moist and flavorful cornbread. Better quality butter has a higher fat content which means more flavor. One of my favorite butters for this recipe and many others is Kerrygold. It’s a good quality butter for a reasonable price. 

If you do not have buttermilk you can easily substitute it with whole milk. I wouldn’t recommend using anything other than whole milk. The milk fat helps to keep the cornbread moist and tender.

Using real robust maple syrup is a requirement for this recipe! Now I source mine through a local farm but if you can’t get your hands on farm fresh maple syrup Butternut Mountain Farms and King Arthur are both excellent brands to use for this recipe.