Southern pecan corn muffins are deliciously moist with a lightly sweet and crunchy, nutty streusel topping.
Southern Pecan Corn Muffins
By Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime
Southern Pecan Corn Muffins are my recipe of the day. As muffins go, these are delightfully different. I could say I have no idea how I came up with these, but really, I do. I absolutely adore streusel topped muffins. And I also love corn bread.
To Sugar or Not to Sugar
And before my Southern friends want to fight with me like cats and dogs on whether or not one should ever-ever-ever put sugar or flour in corn bread, I do remind. This is NOT cornbread. These are muffins.
My culinary roots sometimes leave me feeling like I am standing between two distinct characters of my cooking, trying to keep them from ripping each other’s throats out. I do have a feel for Southern cooking, and it is in my blood.
But I was also raised in the Midwest, just far enough north for my Kentucky and Texas cousins to have razzed me about being a “Yankee”, despite the fact that they lived pretty much due East of me as the crow flies (at least the ones in Louisville). And we all already know the blood feud going on about how to make cornbread, or more succinctly, how NOT to make it. 😉
It’s All in the Purpose
I do love a good cornbread that I can put in a bowl and cover with ham and beans. Or buttermilk. And it had best not be sweet. I also love a good piece of corn bread or even a corn muffin that I can drizzle with honey and eat with a piece of crispy fried chicken. Either way, you can detect my roots and love for good old country style cooking.
And yes, I know these muffins have white flour in them but let’s see anyone try to make a light muffin without it, and yes it has a touch of sugar, but it does go well.
Not Cakelike
And no. It does not taste like cake. I can’t abide that kind of thing, at least like that. In fact there is a local barbecue place here in Ohio which I will not “shame” by name, that on their menu says they tossed out their Granny’s cornbread recipe in favor of the one they use. It does remind of yellow cake and wrapped in plastic is so moist, it might pass for a dumpling. Let’s just say I don’t order their cornbread, and I hope dear old Granny is not rolling in her grave.
So if you do like that kind of cake-like cornbread, well, this is not “quite” like that, but it is as far as I will go without stepping off a cliff. And they are good too. I love the nutty pecan crunch.
You need not spoon your beans over this one, but eat it out of hand, perhaps with a pat of soft French butter or drizzle of local honey. I bet your eyes close.
Southern Pecan Corn Muffins
You Might Also Like:
Cornbread Stuffing Mix
What an easy and frugal way to turn your leftover corn bread into a wonderful stuffing mix to use at Thanksgiving!
Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing
Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing includes the fruity counterpoint of dried cranberries and is perfect with chicken, turkey, or chops.
Sweet Potato Cornbread
Moist and delicious sweet potato cornbread makes great use of the abundance of sweet potatoes in autumn for a welcome fresh bread at dinner.
Cloverleaf Dinner Rolls
Cloverleaf Dinner Rolls are delightfully soft and delicious homemade yeasty rolls for your dinner table any time of year.
Old-Fashioned Bread and Celery Stuffing or Dressing
Traditional moist dressing, baked outside of the bird. I make this when I am cooking a turkey breast without the cavity.
Southern Pecan Corn Muffins
Beyond the Pie – Pecan Recipes
- Cranberry Pecan Bundt Cake by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Cream Cheese Coffee Cake with Pecan Streusel by That Recipe
- Pecan Crusted Pork Chops with Apples by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Pork Chops with Peaches & Pecans by Art of Natural Living
- Roasted Pear, Parmesan, and Spiced Pecan Salad by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Southern Pecan Corn Muffins by Palatable Pastime (You are Here!)
We share Recipes From Our Dinner Table! Join our group and share your recipes, too! While you’re at it, join our Pinterest board, too!

Southern Pecan Corn Muffins
Ingredients
Muffins:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1-1/4 cups buttermilk
- 2 large pastured eggs lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup butter melted and cooled
Pecan Topping:
- 1/2 cup unseasoned cornbread stuffing mix or dry cornbread
- 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
- 4 tablespoons. soft butter
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Stir together the flour, corn meal, sugar, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl.
- Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the eggs, buttermilk, and cooled melted butter, stirring to gently mix.
- Divide batter among a twelve-cup muffin tin which has been sprayed with Baker's Release spray.
- Mix together ingredients for pecan topping and sprinkle on top of muffin batter.
- Bake at 350F for about 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean and the tops are lightly browned.
- Cool in pan 5 minutes, then turn out and finish cooling on a wire rack.
Notes
Join my recipe group on Facebook for more recipes from blogger friends around the world!
Palatable Recipes
This post has been updated from 12.15.2013 with new photography and ingredient adjustments (Splenda has been removed.)
Excellent corn muffins! I usually just make plain cornbread. This ups the ante with the pecans and topping. I also like that they are individual servings without having to cut pieces for everyone. Delicious and I highly recommend. Thank you!
Thank you. This is a favorite of mine.
Love cornbread. Always happy for a new recipe.