Blueberry Cornbread

It is a pleasant problem to have too many blueberries. My backyard blueberry bushes are producing about 2 cups of ripe blueberries a day. In addition to sharing with neighbors, I’m scrambling to find ways to use all the blueberries. I love homemade cornbread and recently ran across a recipe for “Blueberry Cornbread.” I guess this shows that you can add just about anything to cornbread. I love “Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins” with pickled jalapeno bits and my “Hushpuppies” with green onions and Cajun spices. Why not make a sweet cornbread recipe with fresh blueberries? Yum!

So, here’s a toast to my backyard blueberry bushes. Today I’m making “Blueberry Cornbread.” Next I’m going to experiment with an aromatic mixed drink, “Blueberry-Lemon Moscow Mule.” I made “Instant Pot Blueberry Oatmeal” which turned out well and in July I’m planning a post on an absolutely delicious coffeecake, “Blueberry Buckle.” Plus my Aunt Gaye promises to mail me her favorite “Blueberry Sour Cream Pie” recipe. I have lots of blueberry recipes to share this summer!

My blueberries bushes ripen a few at a time. So I pick them daily. Luckily, that spreads the harvest out longer and gives me time to figure out new ways to use the blueberries. The bright maroon blueberries can be picked along with the really blue blueberries as these will ripen a little further on my kitchen counter and last for several weeks.

Blueberry Cornbread Recipe

“Blueberry Cornbread” is a novel use of blueberries. This crumbly cornbread has a sweet flavor which balances the tartness of the blueberries. Even with the sweetness, the cornbread can be served with typical Southern entrées — fried (or baked) chicken, catfish — even chili or red beans and rice. The cornbread also makes a great afternoon snack or even a dessert.

Homemade cornbread is easy to mix up, this is a recipe that just about anyone can make. No need for an electric mixer and you don’t need a boxed packaged mix. Here are the ingredients. This is a “quick bread” recipe and uses baking powder for the leavening ingredient. (Make sure your baking powder box has not expired. It does have a long shelf life, but the active ingredient can settle to the bottom of the container. So, shake up the container prior to measuring out the baking powder.)

The recipe includes both all-purpose flour and cornmeal. The flour adds some structure to the cornbread so that it can be sliced into pieces without totally falling apart. I like the Aunt Jemima^® Yellow Corn Meal brand. it is a finely milled, flavorful cornmeal. This recipe uses oil rather than butter or margarine, so that is a plus both for a healthy recipe and also for the simplicity of the recipe.

The “Aunt Jemima” yellow cornmeal product is owned by PepsiCo and the Quaker Oats Company. Recognizing that the name and image of Aunt Jemima “do not reflect our core values,” they plan to introduce a new logo and name in the summer of 2021. So we’ll need to look for new packaging. The cornmeal product will remain the same. In the meantime, for a bit of trivia, I store cornmeal and all my specialty flours in a refrigerator so they are kept cool and away from bugs and pests.

Here’s how I make this cornbread recipe. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Stir in the cornmeal. In another bowl, blend the egg and add the milk and oil. Add the milk/egg/oil mix and blueberries to the flour. Stir until all the ingredients are just blended. Don’t over-stir. Pour into an oiled 9″ceramic deep-dish pie pan or and an oiled 8″x8″ baking pan. This is a “quick bread” with the baking powder providing the leavening. It is baked in a hot oven.

Let the cornbread cool slightly, then cut in squares and serve. This cornbread is best when served hot.

The result is a sweet, tender cornbread with blueberries adding an aromatic flavor. For an extra “southern” touch, pour honey on top of the individual cornbread squares.

Now I have a new way to use blueberries. This recipe is a novel twist on cornbread. It’s addictive. Enjoy!