To me, nothing says “game day grub” like chili and these chili and cheddar cups made with my cheddar corn muffin recipe are the perfect combo. My favorite is meaty chili, topped with lots of cheese, and cornbread. But it’s hard to eat chili and cornbread with one hand, so I developed this fun and delicious recipe for Chili Corn Muffin Cups instead. These three-bite wonders are sure to wow your family and friends at your next game day party!
Ok, so now you see what I mean, right? My secret is adding a little cheese in the bottom of the corn muffin “cup” so that you get that cheesiness throughout. (Is cheesiness a word? It should be – I love cheese). Anyhoo, let’s get on to how to make these babies. First, you’re going to want to get your chili going. You can use your favorite recipe. If you need some inspiration, Kelley’s Slow Cooker Chuck Wagon Chili is a great one, and my Sweet & Spicy Slow Cooker Chili is another. If you’re serving kids, you might want to adjust the heat level so it’s not too spicy.
Now these aren’t just any corn muffins, no, these are cheddar corn muffins. (I told you I love cheese!) You can make them in a regular muffin tin for slightly smaller portions, or you can make them in a jumbo muffin tin. Either way is great, it all depends on what kind of crowd you’re feeding. For little hands and mouths, the regular muffin tin is perfect. For adults or more of a “meal” size portion, the larger ones are great. You could also make some of each!
Here’s the Cheddar Corn Muffin Recipe and how to put these chili corn muffin cups together.
- 1 egg
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup butter melted
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese
- your favorite chili recipe
- Mexican cheese blend
- Cheddar Corn Muffins
- Preheat the oven to 400-degrees F. Grease an oversized muffin pan and set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the egg with the rest of the wet ingredients.
- Mix in the dry ingredients and the cheese until just combined, taking care not to over mix.
- Portion the muffins into the prepared pan.
- Bake for about 15 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove to a cooling rack and let rest.
- Now here's how to put it all together:
- Let the corn muffins cool until you can easily handle them. Using a paring knife, gently cut out the top and center of the muffin. You want to create a little well for the chili.
- Add a bit of shredded cheese (I like a Mexican cheese blend), then top with chili. The amount depends on the size of the muffin and how big you cut the well.
- Add a bit more cheddar cheese to the top.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place all the corn muffin chili cups on the tray. Bake at 350-degrees F until the cheese is melted. Serve hot.
Pretty easy, right? And trust me, these babies are so good! You can eat them with your hands or with a fork!
Just like when you’re serving traditional chili in a bowl, you may want to put out some sour cream or chives. I hope you’ll enjoy this corn muffin recipe it’s great to eat anytime you want cornbread. You can also toss make it into jalapeno cornbread just by tossing in a few jalapenos if you like to spice it up a bit. And if you have chili left over, try making these Chili Potato Skins – they’re out of this world!
