This copycat Marie Callender’s Cornbread Recipe is the BEST cornbread recipe ever! I’m going to share a little trick for creating the moistest, sweet cornbread, with the best texture! Make it into muffins or traditional cornbread and slather it in honey butter and you are going to be in high heaven! Serve them with soup, salad, breakfast, or main dishes!

Marie Callender's Corn Bread Muffins- the softest muffins ever — Us this recipe to make either cornbread of muffins

Cornbread used to be one of those things I ate but didn’t really love. It’s because the cornmeal was too course, so I guess it’s the texture I didn’t like. Then I learned how to grind my own cornmeal and that changed everything! The cornflour is really fine and sweet too. So stinking good!

When it comes to cornbread are you in the “I like it sweet like cake” camp? Yep! I like sweet cornbread, but not so sweet that it’s like cake. (My mom has a cornbread recipe that is actually made with a yellow cake mix). It’s really delicious, but it’s also like eating dessert with my chili!

I grind popcorn to make my cornmeal and it gives the bread just the right amount of sweet!

Marie Callender's Corn Bread Muffins- perfect with soups — Marie Callendar’s Cornbread Recipe is so much better than using cornbread mixes!

You’ll love Marie Callender’s Cornbread Recipe! It’s also really nice because I almost always have all the ingredients in my food storage or pantry to make it! And it’s a great quick bread for those days when I really want bread with my main dish but don’t have time for making yeast bread or homemade dinner rolls!

a muffin tin with baked cornbread muffins on a floral napkin — This cornbread recipe is really easy! It only takes about 10 minutes to make, plus bake time!

How to make cornmeal!

Making cornmeal at home is really easy! I use my NutraMill Plus Grain Mill {affiliate link} and it’s always worked great, however, I’ve heard that since popcorn is harder than wheat it could ruin your grinder. It’s never been a problem for me, but I need to throw that disclaimer out there. Maybe make sure your wheat grinder is heavy duty!

You’ll need whole, unpopped popcorn kernels. Make sure it’s not flavored or buttered at all. Just raw popcorn kernels are what you’ll need.

According to manufacture instructions add popcorn to a wheat grinder.
Adjust grinder settings to a fairly fine grind. It doesn’t need to be quite as fine as you would use for grinding wheat.
Cornmeal will be warm as soon as it’s ground. Let it cool then store extra in an airtight container! Cornmeal also stores really well in the freezer.
Use it exactly as you would store-bought cornmeal.

Marie Callender's Corn Bread Muffins- the best muffins — Cornbread is a great side dish for lots of main dish meals!

What goes with cornbread?

Really, cornbread is amazing served with pretty much any meal! We love it with anything we barbecue or cook on the smoker. It reminds me of eating at Famous Daves! It’s also a great side dish for chili or any other soup recipe! These cornbread muffins are also really tasty served with main dish salads! Here are a few of the meals we like to serve with cornbread!

Slow Cooker Creamy Taco Soup – it’s everything you love about taco soup plus it has cream cheese
Cowboy Pulled Pork Chili – this chili is packed with flavor
Pizza Chili – kids favorite chili
Crockpot Beef Stew – packed with lots of meat and veggies
Barbecue Pork Chops – made in the slow cooker
BBQ Meatballs – stuffed with cheese
Slow Cooker Drumsticks with Raspberry Glaze – easy and yummy
Beef Burrito Skillet – with rice, beans, and Mexican meat
Pizza Salad – such a fun main dish salad
Mexican Mac and Cheese – uses pantry ingredients
Mexican Meatballs – topped with cheese

Marie Callender's Corn Bread Muffins- with honey butter — Cornbread is amazing with honey butter!

Cornbread with honey butter

My mom used to serve cornbread for breakfast. We buttered it, then drizzled maple syrup all over it! The cornbread soaked the maple syrup up and it was so good! I really should make it for my kids one of these days!

We always serve cornbread with honey butter. It just goes hand in hand. Here are a few of our favorite flavored honey butter recipes you’ll love!

Cranberry Honey Butter – uses a can of cranberry relish
Whipped Cinnamon Butter- just like Texas Roadhouse Honey Butter copycat, maybe better
Whipped Butter- I always whip my butter before making honey butter