Bacon and Squash Corn Muffins for Your Thanksgiving Bread Basket
Bill, Judy, Sarah, and Kaitlin Leung are the cooks behind The Woks of Life, a food blog spanning several generations. For the past two years, the entire family has used the blog — featured as part of Yahoo Food Blogger of the Week series — as a platform to communicate, tell stories, and share food across distances. Below, Kaitlin Leung puts a genius spin on the corn muffin that’ll change the Thanksgiving bread basket forever.
All photos courtesy of Woks of Life
Sometimes you’re going about life, minding your own business and following your daily routine, when you have a thought. A thought that’s so utterly beyond standard procedure that it demands to be paid attention. Before you know it, your ho-hum corn muffin recipe is transformed into something nonsensically delectable.
Today was that day. I was standing in the supermarket, pacing around the produce department and wondering how I could jazz up our yearly Thanksgiving bread basket. As I skulked past the fall squash for the umpteenth time, it hit me:
Corn muffins. (Glances at supermarket’s array of squash…again.) BUTTERNUT SQUASH corn muffins. Wait. Butternut squash corn muffins with FRIED SAGE.
And BACON.
Ooh! And CHEESE!
If I haven’t got you hooked by now, you’re probably the Thanksgiving Grinch, because these corn muffins are about as festive and delicious as they come. The sweetness of the butternut squash complements the corn perfectly; the sage and bacon add a wonderful crunchy saltiness; the cheese makes everything delightfully gooey; and the maple syrup ties it all together.
Related: 5 Genius Ways to Use a Muffin Tin to Cook Things That Aren’t Muffins
Savory Fall Muffins
Makes 1 muffin tin’s worth
2 cups butternut squash, cut into very small cubes
¼ cup maple syrup, plus 1 tablespoon
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon chopped fried sage
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
4 ounces bacon, cooked crisp and chopped
1 ¼ cups grated cheese (Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Gruyère etc.)
Related: Doughnut Muffin Recipe From ‘The Sugar Hit’
Preheat oven to 375°F. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, toss the butternut squash cubes with 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, until tender and caramelized. Set aside.
In a large bowl, thoroughly combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, butter, and ¼ cup maple syrup. Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined. Gently fold in the cooked butternut squash cubes, herbs, chopped bacon, and ¾ cup grated cheese. (You can save some of the squash, bacon, and herbs to top the muffins with as well).
Related: Savory Rosemary and Goat Cheese Muffin Recipe
Line your muffin pan with paper cups and fill the cups about 2/3 of the way full. Top the muffins with the remaining ½ cup of cheese and any of the reserved squash, bacon, and herbs. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
This recipe originally appeared on The Woks of Life.
Related: The Secret to Making the Cruffin, a Croissant-Muffin Hybrid
Need more baking recipes? Look no further:
Pumpkin Pie from Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bakery
