Cornbread Muffins

Cornbread. We originally made this for Thanksgiving, then I misplaced the recipe. This past weekend, B decided he really wanted more cornbread, so after considerable googling I found it again. From Epicurious, with very few adaptations.

Ingredients

• 1 c. flour
• 1 c. cornmeal (I used half white and half yellow)
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. grated cheese (I used a finely grated Colby/Monterrey Jack mix)
• 3/4 c. buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 3 T. honey
• 1/4 c. melted margarine

Methodology

1. Preheat oven to 425.
   
2. Mix dry ingredients (flour, cornmeal, baking soda, baking powder, salt). Add in cheese.
   
3. Mix buttermilk, eggs, margarine, honey in another bowl.
   
4. Add wet into dry and stir to combine. Don't over-stir.
5. Measure in 1/4 cupfuls into a (greased) muffin pan. Bake ~10 minutes, until a tester comes out clean.

Notes

• Maybe cook 9 minutes instead? It was a little overdone. I guess 8 minutes and then let it sit and finish with residual heat, that would be ideal.
  
• Otherwise, very tasty; not too dry, quite dense. Goes well with chili.
• Needs a trifle more salt, maybe more honey? B says he remembers them being sweeter last time.
• Makes 12 muffins.
  

Rum Cream Cheese Frosting

Well this was delicious, but a little too liquid. It dripped down all the cupcakes it was applied to. But it was very tasty, and after I was done frosting the cupcakes, I put some on some matzo, and that was good too.

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. margarine
• 8 oz. cream cheese (I used fat free, I think this was a mistake on my part)
• 3 1/3 c. powdered sugar
• 1 T. rum
• 1 tsp white chocolate Godiva

Methodology

1. Mix margarine and cream cheese.
2. Add sugar slowly. If you want it less sweet, add less sugar.
3. Add the liquor.
4. If it is too soft, try refrigerating it.

Notes

This goes on chocolate cupcakes, of course.

I refrigerated this and it didn't actually help, I think because I used fat free cream cheese and margarine instead of butter. Even after having been in the freezer overnight, it is still not going to go in a piping bag. But it is delicious, I cannot help but stick my fingers in. Which brings up another point - do not drive under the influence of this frosting. I kept adding rum, trying to get a bit of a "kick", and finally added the Godiva for that (it was Meyer's rum, so pretty high quality stuff). And then all of a sudden it was almost too much.

Almost is the operative word here, I guess.

I can't think of any really good ways to fix it when your frosting is too runny. Maybe cornstarch, if I'd had any (I didn't) would have thickened it. Anyway it worked pretty well if you didn't mind getting frosting all over your fingers. So the moral of the story is that if you want decent frosting, don't try to skimp on calories.