Are you ready for some serious fall coziness? Because there is a lot of autumn happening in this pumpkin cornbread.
It will fill your house with wafts of cinnamon-y fall (no fake-smelly candle required), with joy and with happiness and this fuzzy feeling in your stomach only a very good moment can bring. ♡
But OK, this needs to be said: I am not a mainstream person.
Yet I have Pumpkin (!) Cornbread (!!) in the house (!!!) and it smells so good. My non-mainstreamy self feels a twang of guilt over this.
Maybe I’m a little basic. Is “non-mainstream basic” a thing? We should make it a thing.
But internet friends… This cornbread. It is worth giving up all your ideas of who you are and how not mainstream you are and how much you love-hate pumpkin waffles on crisp fall mornings. (Let’s get real here for a minute: We love them, oh how we love them. During the holiday season we’re all a bit basic and it’s going to be fine. Pinky promise.)
I’m currently on a mission to convert the world to pumpkin-cornbread-lovers. I made it for my parents when they came over for crockpot chili (basic) and granddaughter cuddles (necessary). I made it for some friends when we had… Oh, we had chili, too.
I have to put a few huge disclaimer on this recipe, right here and right now:
- It is not in-your-face pumpkin. I mean, it’s non-mainstream basic levels of pumpkin (win!). I have Healthy Pumpkin Muffins if you want to go all out (oops, back to regular levels of basic). Understated pumpkin pros: The pumpkin keeps the bread nice and moist, gives it a beautiful color and just gussies up regular cornbread for golden autumn days. But it is still super fluffy and tender – no density to be found here!
- It is ridiculously easy to make. Like, sit down for this one: All you need is one bowl – simply throw in all your ingredients in there, stir five times and bake. Yes, you may do a happy dance right now. I’ll wait.
- You will eat it all. By yourself. In one sitting. ?? Just so you can’t come back here and say I didn’t warn you. But in case you decide to restrain yourself and not devour the entire pan by yourself (you champ, you!) – this is wonderful for sharing.
You know when you need that little extra boost to feel accomplished and cozy and like a nesting bird (vs a flustered chicken)? Yeah, you and me both.
When you need hard and fast evidence that you’re adulting and feeding your kids normal food and being a good and responsible neighbor/friend/lunch date host or even just to feel alive and human.
This is your recipe.
One bowl. 10 ingredients. 30 minutes from now you could feel like a responsible adult who bakes warm and fluffy cornbread from scratch.
Sometimes (read: all of the time and always), the little things are what matter most. The things that soothe the soul and calm your nerves when you think you just don’t have this life thing down.
But we got this. And this pumpkin cornbread will show us who’s bossing at life.
It is 100% worth losing the battle against your stickler-ish non-mainstream self. It’s 200% worth it to risk eating the entire pan by yourself (now I’ve warned you twice).
Seriously.
How to make pumpkin cornbread:
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups yellow cornmeal
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1.5 cups milk
- 1/4 cup butter, melted and slightly cooled
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a 7x11 rectangular baking dish.
- Mix the dry ingredients: Whisk the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice together in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle.
- Add wet ingredients: Into the well, add the egg and beat a little. Add the pumpkin puree, milk and butter. First whisk the wet ingredients together a little, then stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened. Do not overmix!
- Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool in the pan. Serve warm cut into squares.