Honey Butter Glazed Cornbread

This decadent Honey Butter Glazed Cornbread is spongy and buttery with a delicate sweetness. It's almost cakelike in texture, not dry or crumbly like some other cornbread making it a wonderful breakfast treat, snack, side dish or even dessert.

(This recipe was originally published in January 2012, but was updated with new photos and content in 2021).

A recipe for cornbread adapted from a cookbook about desserts is sure to be on the decadent side. Quite frankly, I don't see anything wrong with that! This cornbread recipe from Sherry Yard, former Executive Pastry Chef of Wolfgang Puck's Spago, is moist and delicious, even before adding the luscious honey butter glaze.

Don't let the honey glaze dissuade you from enjoying this cornbread like you would any other. Enjoy this honey butter cornbread on its own with a cup of tea or coffee, or pair it with savory dishes like a big bowl of chili or your Thanksgiving turkey!

Even with the slightly sweet glaze, a punch of salt in the batter definitely stands up and takes notice. Each square is tender-crumbed with a hint of texture from the cornmeal. Meanwhile, the honey glazed surface glistens and sparkles!

Ingredient notes

• Yellow Cornmeal: Cornmeal ranges in texture from fine to medium and coarse, and even stone-ground. For cornbread or corn muffins you should aim to use fine or medium grind cornmeal for optimal texture. If there is no label on the package distinguishing its grind, assume it's either fine or medium. Stone-ground cornmeal is also fine and will likely have some varying texture throughout.
• Flour: Some cornbread recipes use mostly cornmeal and little to no flour, but this honey butter cornbread is tender and cakey in texture. It requires an ample amount of all-purpose flour to get that perfect balance.
• Buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk you can use 1 ½ teaspoons white vinegar or lemon juice with enough milk added to yield ½ cup to replicate the same tang you’d get with buttermilk.
• Honey: There are countless honey varieties that range in color and flavor, and each will slightly alter the flavor of the honey butter glaze. Since the honey is diluted, nearly any variety that isn't too dark or strongly flavored would work well for this honey butter cornbread. I recommend clover honey, orange blossom honey, and wildflower honey as some commonly available varieties.

How to make it

Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper and lightly spray with pan spray.

Stir together the yellow cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt, and set aside. Next, in a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs. Melt the butter and immediately whisk into eggs in a slow stream. Whisk in the milk, buttermilk, and oil. Then whisk in the dry ingredients just until combined.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan (PHOTO 1) and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean (PHOTO 2).

Meanwhile, make the glaze by melting the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the water and honey and whisk until blended.

When the cornbread is done, remove it from oven and poke holes all over the bread, about ½ inch apart, with a toothpick.

Brush with the glaze and allow to cool completely before cutting into squares. Store the honey butter glazed cornbread at room temperature in an airtight container.

Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.

Expert tips and FAQs

I've tested this honey butter cornbread recipe with the full amount of glaze and also with half. While both are good, using the full amount of glaze keeps the cornbread moist even longer. It will seem like a lot of glaze as you brush or blot it over the top, but it will absorb into the cornbread and distribute nicely.

You can line your pan with either foil or parchment paper. I like to use either to help lift the cornbread out of the pan and transfer to a cutting board. Be very careful when removing it from the pan so it doesn't crack or break in the middle. It helps to have an extra pair of hands to help hold all four corners if you do this. You can also cut the cornbread directly in the pan if you prefer.

Get creative with this recipe and try it with blue cornmeal to yield a more blueish-purple toned cornbread. You can also make it with white cornmeal for a paler finish.

Other recipes you may like

• Bouchon Bakery Corn Muffins
• Bouchon Bakery Blueberry Muffins
• Cinnamon Honey Scones
• Honey Glazed Beer Bread
• Irish Guinness Brown Bread
• Honey and Peanut Butter Swirl Marshmallows

Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also follow me on social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!