CHEDDAR JALEPENO CORNBREAD

Filed under Breads
Ingredients
3 cups flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups milk
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
2 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 cup sliced scallions, divided
3 tablespoons fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced

Directions
Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, and butter. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until most of the lumps are dissolved. Do not overmix! Mix in 2 cups of the grated cheddar cheese, about 1/3 cup scallions and the jalapenos.  Allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.  Spread the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle with the remaining grated Cheddar and extra chopped scallions. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool and cut into large squares.

Let's Dish
I love my regular cornbread recipe, but sometimes you need to spice things up a bit.  I recently took this cornbread to a backyard barbecue and it disappeared in no time.  Good thing I ate several pieces myself ahead of time! It's light and fluffy and has just the right amount of jalepeno flavor.  I imagine it would also make some great cornbread muffins.

Who Dished It Up First
Adapted from Ina Garten.