Blueberry Cornbread with Honey Butter combines the sweetness of juicy blueberries with the hearty texture of cornbread, creating a delightful balance of flavors. A delicious dish to substitute from dinner rolls at your Thanksgiving table!
Cornbread can be a bit divisive - some people like theirs sweet, others say sugar should never enter the recipe! This one is sweet, you could almost consider it a dessert.
There's a time and place for all types of cornbread in my book.
I love pairing blueberries with other flavors, and Lemon Blueberry Cookies are always a hit. For a true breakfast treat that feels like going to the bakery, whip up some Blueberry Streusel Muffins.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- You can make the honey butter ahead of time to have it ready (and ready to use on all sorts of dishes!).
- This blueberry cornbread recipe utilizes pantry ingredients, as well as frozen blueberries, so you can make it whenever the craving strikes.
- The strong flavors make this a dream dish for those who love to taste new things. Olive oil, honey, blueberries all take starring roles.
- It boasts well at your Thanksgiving dinner, especially alongside cranberry orange sauce.
Recipe Ingredients
- Whipped Honey Butter: We are going to make our own compound butter, which I'm sure you'll find many uses for. I love adding it to a breakfast charcuterie board!
- Corn Meal: I prefer yellow cornmeal. Don't use "stone ground" which is coarser and needs a different ratio of wet ingredients.
- Eggs: Using room temperature eggs in baking is best for even baking. Use leftover eggs to make Deviled Eggs With Relish!
- Flour: Regular all-purpose is perfect to use in a cornbread.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar turns this into a great, sweet bread that feels like dessert.
- Olive Oil: Regular olive oil is a great addition to keep this blueberry cornbread moist.
- Milk: I prefer whole milk when baking, because the fat and sugar in it really helps aid in the final texture.
- Blueberries: I use frozen blueberries in this blueberry cornbread recipe. This ensures they are always in-season and flavorful, as well as ready to use.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Try frozen raspberries or blackberries in this blueberry cornbread recipe. Just swap them out for the blueberries.
- In a pinch, you could try a canola or other oil option, but I really think the olive oil is perfect.
- Only have salted butter on hand? Omit the kosher salt in the honey butter.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
How To Make Blueberry Compote Cornbread
Step 1: Make blueberry compote on the stove and freeze for a few minutes to cool down quickly.
Step 2: Whip up honey butter using a hand mixer.
Step 3: Whisk dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and set aside.
Step 4: Whisk wet ingredients until well combined.
Step 5: Stir wet ingredients into dry.
Step 6: Pour batter into prepared, greased pan.
Step 7: Add dollops of blueberry compote on top, being sure not to add too much liquid then swirl.
Step 8: Bake until blueberry cornbread is golden brown and set. Allow to cool slightly then top cornbread with honey butter.
Expert Baking Tips
- Don't scrape out the entire pan of compote onto the cornbread batter. Adding too much extra liquid in this step can interfere with proper baking.
- Whisk the dry and wet separately until well combined; then when combining the two bowls you want to stop as soon as everything is wet.
- Cool slightly before slicing your corn bread, to allow everything to set and not fall apart.
- Use a sheet pan on the rack below the blueberry cornbread to catch any spills.
- Make honey butter up to 5 days ahead of time and store in an airtight container in the fridge. Allow to come to room temp before serving. Use any extra honey butter on roasted half chicken!
Recipe FAQs
You can make the honey butter up to 5 days ahead and store in the fridge. Leftover blueberry cornbread may also be stored in the fridge up to 3 days. Keep in mind the corn bread will be soggier than other options that don't have fruit, the longer it is stored. This cornbread with honey butter can also be frozen. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, double wrapped, then place in an airtight container and into the freezer for up to 1 month.
Insert a toothpick into the center of the blueberry cornbread, trying not to hit any of the blueberry mixture. You are looking for just a few crumbs to stick to the toothpick. You don't necessarily need it to come out totally clean as then you risk over baking.
Fresh or frozen blueberries will work for this blueberry cornbread recipe. Keep a closer eye on them as you get them started in the pan for the compote as they can slightly burn at the beginning because of the lack of liquid. Once they start cooking they will release liquid.
Using a cast iron skillet for blueberry cornbread gives you those nice crisp edges. Traditional cornbread recipes call for a cast iron but if you don't like crispy edges then you can use a traditional baking pan for softer edges. Try making skillet apple pie too!
Southern cornbread tends to have a savory flavor while regular cornbread recipes are typically sweeter. Sometimes to the point where they even taste dessert-like. This blueberry cornbread recipe is on the sweeter side.
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📖Recipe
Blueberry Cornbread With Honey Butter
Equipment
- 1 8" skillet with high sides 8" high sided pie pan works too
Ingredients
Blueberry Compote
- 1 cup frozen blueberries
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 pinch kosher salt Diamond Crystal
Cornbread
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt Diamond Crystal
- 2 large eggs room temp
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
Honey Butter
- 8 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoon honey
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt Diamond Crystal
- ½ teaspoon bourbon optional
Instructions
Blueberry Compote
- Add blueberries, sugar and salt to a small sauce pot and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Allow to simmer 5 minutes then transfer to the freezer for 5 minutes to cool
Cornbread
- Preheat oven to 350°F then butter an 8" skillet. Whisk cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl
- In a separate bowl whisk eggs, milk, oil and butter
- Add wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until combined
- Pour batter into prepared skillet then add spoons of blueberry compote to the top of the batter. Swirl blueberry into batter using a butter knife
- Bake 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of center clean or with just a few crumbs
Honey Butter
- Blend all honey butter ingredients in a medium mixing bowl on high speed for 1-2 minutes until light and fluffy
- Top warm or room temperature cornbread with honey butter and serve
Kathy
Cornbread and blueberries, umm yes please! Krista you’ve nailed it again. Simply amazing!