Pumpkin Cornbread

I love cornbread. But it's a hit or a miss sometimes, often being a bit too dry and crumbly for my liking. Pumpkin Cornbread, the other hand, well you'd really have to work to dry out this loaf! This recipe is a reliable winner in my opinion.

This cornbread comes together like most... cornmeal, flour, buttermilk, eggs, sugar... But where you'd typically add a bunch of butter or oil to keep the bread moist, I swap the fat for pumpkin puree. So not only is this cornbread seasonal, it's healthy too! Right...?

Resist the temptation to add any cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice to the batter. Nixing the spices keeps this cornbread a bit more savory making it a perfect companion for a bowl of chili. Perhaps even a bowl of Pumpkin Chili if you really want to double down.

For a little decorative flare, and so you know what you're getting into, I like to sprinkle a few pumpkin seeds in a decorative border around the edge of the cornbread. Of course, this is largely aesthetic and you can certainly skip this step.

Whether you're serving this up to accompany your next weeknight meal, or perhaps adding it to your Thanksgiving table, I hope you enjoy it just as much as my family has.

Pumpkin Cornbread

Ingredients

· 1/3 cup brown sugar

· 2 tbsp honey

· 2 tbsp butter, melted and cooled

· ½ tsp vanilla extract

· 1 egg

· 1 cup buttermilk

· ½ cup pumpkin puree

· 1 cup cornmeal

· 1 cup flour

· 1 tsp baking powder

· ½ tsp baking soda

· ¼ tsp salt

· Butter, for pan

· Pumpkin seeds, optional

Preheat oven to 400F.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, honey, melted butter, vanilla, egg, buttermilk, and pumpkin puree until smooth. Ensure the sugar has dissolved.

Sprinkle over the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Combine the wet and dry ingredients gently using a spatula. Allow the batter to rest for 15 minutes.

Liberally grease an 8in round cake pan with butter. Pour the rested batter into the pan. Smooth the surface. If desired, sprinkle pumpkin seeds over the top of the batter.

Bake the cornbread for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Serve warm sliced into wedges.

Serves 8

Gluten Free Friendly!

Swap the flour for your favorite GF substitute. I prefer King Arthur or Cup4Cup for this recipe.