“Well, said Pooh, “What I like best,” and then he had to stop and think. Because although eating honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn’t know what it was called.” ~A.A. Milne
It’s here! Lauren’s flying home on Thursday, and Chels and Nick will be home tomorrow, making today feel like Christmas Eve. Ahhhh! You know what I’m talking about… that feeling… so difficult to put into words… takes hold of the pit of our stomach and places us on the threshold of joy, all day long.
Everything I do today will be set against a backdrop of bliss. This is one of those unique kind of days where even the most domestic of tasks are all aglow. I am eager to mop floors, ready bedding, fluff pillows, and stock cupboards. The tree is up and embellished with (only) twinkle lights and awaits ten eager hands to dress it up for Christmas, come Saturday morning. Our pumpkin spice and cinnamon scented candles are ready and waiting for the long cozy weekend ahead…
Which brings me to this buttermilk cornbread & cinnamon-honey butter. Not the greatest segue? I know… Sorry, friends…
So a few years back I switched from serving dinner rolls to serving cornbread with our Thanksgiving meal, and I have never looked back. Initially, I was inspired to make something different because at that stage I was still honing my repertoire of recipes in pursuit of ‘our’ perfect holiday meal. Don’t get me wrong, dinner rolls are awesome, but we’ll have them from time to time, and my goal was to compose a dinner that’s pretty much (welllll, I do roast butternut squash as much as I can, and, oh yeah, we like our mashed potatoes…) but for the most part, a meal made with recipes that I only make for Thanksgiving day. This, I hoped, would help create for my family, that same feeling Pooh has just before he takes his first smackerel of honey…
I found this recipe in Williams-Sonoma Thanksgiving Cookbook. Unlike most of the dishes that I will prepare the day before – this one gets made on Thanksgiving day. It’s quick and easy but more importantly, it’s best served warm, straight from the oven. And it’s better yet…
…when served with cinnamon-honey butter! This will be new to our table this year and I have no doubt it will be a welcomed addition to the family. This, melting atop the cornbread – oh yeah, you know what I’m taking about! This recipe is one of Ina Garten’s; I couldn’t get through reading it without running to the kitchen to make sure I had everything I needed – luckily, it’s a simple recipe with basic fridge and pantry ingredients. Butter, honey, cinnamon, and kosher salt. Done. Delish.
With all the excitement and holiday hoopla surrounding this week, I’ll be taking the next few days off, but I’ll be back next week with more holiday recipes to share!
I wish you and yours a most lovely Thanksgiving celebration.
Buon Appetito!
Ciao for now!
PrintButtermilk Corn Bread with Cinnamon-Honey Butter
- Cuisine: Side-Dish
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly, plus extra for greasing
- 2 cups yellow cornmeal, preferably stone ground
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 4 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
- 2 eggs, at room temperature, well beaten
- 1/4 lb. unsalted butter, softened
- 3 Tbsp. honey
- 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp. Kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Grease a 9×13 inch metal baking pan.
- In a large bowl, thoroughly stir together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- In another bowl, mix together the buttermilk, eggs, and melted butter until just combined.
- Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until combined.
- Spread the batter in the prepared pan.
- Bake until the edges are just beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 18-20 minutes.
- Let stand in pan for about 5 minutes, cut into squares and serve warm.
- In a mixing bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the softened butter, honey, cinnamon, and salt.
- Mix until combined.
- Enjoy the butter on your cornbread.
*Recipe inspired by Williams-Sonoma Buttermilk Corn Bread
Lisa says
What a great recipe! Although it won’t take the place of the Parker House Rolls – I will make it soon – with a big pot of soup!
Thanks for sharing – love your space.
Annie says
Hi Lisa,
Thank you so much! Man…now you’ve got me thinking about Parker House Rolls…thankfully Christmas is just a few weeks away! I think you’ll really like this recipe with a hearty soup, and it’s perfect with chili too!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Annie
Lucy says
LOVE LOVE LOVE.
Annie says
Ditto!