Tex-Mex Cornbread

This isn’t your quiet Sunday cornbread. Four chopped jalapenos, a full cup of cheddar cheese, and sour cream turn basic cornbread into something loud, rich, and unapologetically Tex-Mex.

The sour cream and creamed corn together make this one of the moistest cornbreads you’ll bake. Sour cream adds fat and tang that keep the crumb soft even a day later, while the creamed corn folds in sweet, corny pockets throughout. Two-thirds cup of oil on top of all that means this bread stays tender, never dry.

The cheese goes in two stages. Half gets mixed into the batter, melting into the crumb and flavoring it from within. The rest goes on top before baking, creating a golden, bubbling cheddar crust that’s almost like a grilled cheese on top of your cornbread.

Kitchen Tips

• Leave the jalapeno seeds in for full heat, or remove some or all for a milder bread. Four jalapenos with seeds is genuinely spicy.
• Green onion tops only, not the white parts. The tops give a mild onion flavor and green flecks without the sharp bite of the white bulbs.
• Grease the pan well. The cheese on the bottom edges will stick aggressively to an under-greased pan.
• Serve warm. The cheese layer on top firms up as it cools and loses its stretchy, gooey appeal.

Variations

• Add ½ cup of crumbled cooked bacon to the batter for a smoky, meaty cornbread.
• Swap cheddar for pepper jack cheese to double down on the spice.
• Fold in a drained can of black beans for a heartier bread that works as a standalone meal.