Maple and Walnut Cornbread Recipe

When I first crafted my recipe for Northern-style cornbread, one thing I didn't try out with my base cornbread recipe was other sweeteners. I had thought of using brown sugar, honey, and molasses, but I needed to keep some constants, and sticking to white sugar ended up being one of them. So, when I went back to the kitchen for further cornbread exploration, trying out maple syrup as the main sugar source was the first thing I wanted to do.

In addition to the syrup adjustment—I still used a little sugar to get the right level of sweetness—I added roughly chopped walnuts that I had toasted in the skillet prior to preheating it in the oven. With just those couple of changes to the recipe, I wound up with a bread that was really different.

The maple syrup leaves its distinctly sweet, sappy imprint on the cornbread, giving it a new depth that melds well with the sweet, grassy corn. The walnuts add a great nutty complement and some contrasting crunch. These are flavors that would be a welcome addition to almost any holiday table. 

And after you’ve cooked up the maple version, try orange cranberry, jalapeño, roasted red pepper, or cheddar bacon scallion.