This Browned Butter Cornbread in a Skillet is moist, tender and one you can whip up on the spur of the moment! Honey, sweet corn with the nuttiness of browned butter…this cast iron skillet baked cornbread is incredibly flavorful! A from-scratch cornbread that is so easy, you'll never use a mix again!
"Necessity is the mother of invention". Which is how this Browned Butter Cornbread in a Skillet came about! "
And sometimes, accidents are too.
It is solely by accident that this cast iron skillet cornbread recipe came about. The other night I made cornbread to go with this Turkey Chile with Salsa Verde.
Now, my cornbread recipe is incredibly easy - made without buttermilk and using staples like frozen corn and honey, I can always make up a batch.
Easy peasy, right? So easy it sort of got away from me. There I was in the kitchen happily assembling my ingredients, catching up with my husband on the events of the day and ... forgot about the butter.
Oops! But I was in luck …. the butter hadn't burned but browned and I thought "hmmm… this could be good!" (Duh… when is browned butter NOT good??) So I pulled the skillet out of the oven, poured in the batter and popped it back into the oven.
Did it taste as good as it smelled? Oh yeah.....
Want to give this skillet cornbread a try? Here's what you need!
Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread Ingredients:
- unsalted butter
- cornmeal
- flour
- baking powder
- salt
- fresh or frozen corn kernels
- whole milk
- honey
- egg
- bourbon (totally optional but sooo good!)
How to make this from scratch Cornbread:
- Combine the dry and wet ingredients separately. TIP: to keep the corn from sinking to the bottom, toss it with the dry ingredients.
- Cut the butter and brown it: Cutting the butter into evenly sized cubes allows it to brown evenly.
- Mix the ingredients and bake: You can make the cornbread right before serving or a few hours before.
Step #1 - combine the dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately 
Step #2 - cube the butter Step #3 - brown the butter. Step #4 - bake and serve.
This easy cornbread recipe is delicious all on
If you like bread recipes, here are some others you might enjoy!
- Savory Bread Pudding - cheesy, crispy and chewy - a reader favorite!
- Irish brown bread - a traditional, "quick bread" from Ireland!
- Irish Guinness Beer Bread - Guinness isn't just for drinking!
- British Tea Scones - a delicious side with a cup of tea!
- Van de Kamp's Date Nut Bread - moist and delicious!
- Yogurt Flatbreads - a quick, no-knead solution when you forget the bread!
If you enjoyed this recipe, I'd love for you leave me a comment and rate it!!
Thanks for stopping by!!!!
📖Recipe
Browned Butter Cornbread in a skillet
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter 1 cube
- 1 cup coarse ground cornmeal I use Bob's Red Mill
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- ¾ cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup honey
- 1 Tbsp. good bourbon optional
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Pre heat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Stir. Add the corn and toss with the dry ingredients (this helps the corn from sinking to the bottom of the pan). I
- In a small bowl, combine the milk, honey, egg, and bourbon if using.
- Place the chunks of butter into a 10 inch cast iron skillet and place in the oven. Let butter melt and brown - about 7 - 8 minutes for cold butter (if your butter is at room temperature, it will take a bit less time).
- While the butter is browning, quickly add the wet ingredients to the dry, stirring until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the skillet and place back in the oven. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes until the cornbread is brown around the edges and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out with small crumbs attached. Remove skillet from oven and let cool for 10 - 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Lana @ Never Enough Thyme says
I love the whole idea of browned butter and bourbon in corn bread. I might have one day thought of the browned butter, but the bourbon...never would have crossed my mind. My tastebuds are imagining the flavors of this right now and my mouth is watering. Great recipe, Nancy!
Allison [Girl's Guide to Social Media] says
I don't know if I have ever met a brown butter I don't like. Thanks for sharing this great recipe! YUM.
Maria says
Love this recipe! Brown butter makes everything better!
Annamaria says
I like cornbread that's sweet. This one looks like it might be just what I'm looking for.
Nancy says
Hello Annamaria!
It definitely is on the sweeter side and very moist! Hope you like it!!
marla says
I love skillet cornbread ~ especially with Brown Butter!
Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen says
Brown butter makes everything better doesn't it? Love it!
Nancy says
Hi Sylvie!! It definitely does!!!
Debra says
I made this cornbread today with my traditional New Year's Day menu of pork, collard greens, blackened peas, mac & cheese. It was yummy!
Nancy says
Hi Debra!
Woot!! So glad you enjoyed the cornbread! Wishing you all the best in the New Year!!
Kimba says
making it right now! do you toss the two tablespoons you don't add in? or leave it in the skillet?
Nancy says
Hi Kimba!! Just leave it in the skillet!! Enjoy!!!
Michele says
Forgive me for being a novice at cooking with a cast iron skillet...I gave mine away about ten years ago because I didn't know how to season it... That said, I really would like to make this recipe and wondered if I could just make it in a 9" x 9" glass pan....and just bake it a little longer rather than cooking it at the end on the stovetop? Thank you in advance for your help. I am hoping to make this work!
Nancy says
Hello Michele,
Somehow, your comment ended up in my "spam" folder so my apologies for not getting back to you sooner! I think you could definitely do this in a glass pyrex but you won't get as brown a crust on the bottom because of the glass.
Michele says
Thank you, Nancy, for your reply! I will make this is a pyrex glass dish the next time I make cornbread!
Roger says
Sounds great, the grandkids will love it.
To be clear - the second to the last sentence says "...let cook for 10 - 15..." should that read "let cool for 10 - 15..." ??? And what size skillet did you use?
I think this will go good with honeybutter at breakfast.
Thanks
Nancy says
Hi Roger! Ah, thanks for catching both of those things! I used a 10 inch skillet!!
Christina | Christina's Cucina says
I can just imagine this alongside some delicious bbq! Thanks for including the link to my scones, Nancy! Very much appreciated! 🙂
Valentina says
Brown butter makes everything better! What an excellent kitchen accident, and how lucky the butter hadn't burned. I went through a brown butter stage a couple of years ago, and this post is reminding me how I want to get back in it. Delicious looking cornbread!
Nancy says
Thanks Valentina - it definitely was one of those happy accidents! When winter rolls around I am all about the browned butter!!!
Barb jensen says
I was out for dinner the other night, had cornbread for th first time,delicious.
Now I'm on the make cornbread kick,bought all he ingredients yesterday and have my trusty cast skillet,and bourbon. Please guide/ help this novice. My understanding is the butter is in the skillet at a high heat then the batter is poured into the very hot skillet. Any further would be appreciated. Thank
You in advance I'm a Canadian that wants to learn.
Nancy says
Hi Barb!
Yes! you melt the butter in the oven! I would check it at about the 5 - 6-minute mark. Pull the skillet out and (if you've never made brown butter before) you can pour some out of the skillet to check the color. If it's a nice light brown you are good to go! Once the butter is browned, you just pour the batter right into the skillet and then pop it back into the oven to bake. I adore my cast iron skillet but it does make checking the color of the butter a little tricky! This post from Simply Recipes has a great little video which shows the process - the tutorial is for making it on the stove (which you could definitely do and then proceed with the recipe!) https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_brown_butter/ I hope you enjoy the cornbread - I'm making it tonight to go with Turkey Chili!!!