Classic Southern Cornbread Honey Butter (Printable)

Golden, moist cornbread baked in skillet, served warm with luscious honey butter and Southern charm.

# What You Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 1 cup yellow cornmeal
02 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
03 - 1/4 cup granulated sugar
04 - 1 tablespoon baking powder
05 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
06 - 3/4 teaspoon fine salt

→ Wet Ingredients

07 - 1 cup whole milk
08 - 2 large eggs
09 - 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
10 - 1/4 cup vegetable oil

→ For Greasing

11 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

→ Honey Butter

12 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
13 - 2 tablespoons honey
14 - Pinch of salt

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 425°F. Place a 10-inch cast-iron skillet inside to heat while preparing batter.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly distributed.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk milk, eggs, melted butter, and vegetable oil until thoroughly combined.
04 - Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Stir gently until just combined without overmixing to maintain tender crumb structure.
05 - Carefully remove hot skillet from oven. Add 2 tablespoons butter and swirl to coat bottom and sides evenly.
06 - Pour batter into hot buttered skillet and smooth the top surface.
07 - Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until top is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center emerges clean.
08 - While cornbread bakes, beat softened butter with honey and pinch of salt in small bowl until smooth and fluffy.
09 - Remove cornbread from oven and cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Slice and serve warm with honey butter.

# Helpful Tips:

01 -
  • The crispy, buttery edges from the cast-iron skillet are genuinely addictive and impossible to replicate in a regular pan.
  • Honey butter melting into warm cornbread is the kind of simple comfort that makes everything else feel manageable.
  • It comes together in under an hour and tastes like you've been cooking all morning.
02 -
  • Don't skip the preheating step for the skillet—room temperature or barely warm pans produce flat, pale cornbread instead of that gorgeous golden bottom.
  • Buttermilk is not required but completely changes the game if you have it; the tang makes the cornmeal flavor deeper and more interesting.
  • Overmixing is the enemy—you can stir the wet and dry together with maybe 10 to 15 gentle strokes and no more.
03 -
  • Let your cast-iron skillet get seriously hot before adding batter—if there's any hesitation when the batter hits the pan, your oven temperature might not be quite right.
  • Buttermilk and whole milk create different textures; buttermilk gives you a more tender crumb while whole milk stays slightly more structured.
  • The honey butter can be made hours ahead and left at room temperature, which means less stress when you're actually serving dinner.
Go Back