The Trick For Ultra-Moist Jiffy Cornbread Is These 2 Ingredients In Your Fridge

Whether baked in a skillet or cast-iron pan, cornbread is a perfect pairing for any hearty meal, regardless of the time of year. When it comes to an easy shortcut, few brands are as beloved as Jiffy, which has been a pantry staple for literal generations. Food Network star Sunny Anderson even deems it the best boxed variety. While Jiffy cornbread is known for its crumbly texture, there's a simple way to make it even richer and more luscious with the help of two ingredients: Butter and sour cream. Butter brings richness and fat to the batter, while sour cream adds both fat and acidity, helping tenderize the crumb and lock in moisture as the cornbread bakes. The result is an ultra-moist cornbread that's still distinctly corn-forward and sweet, but with a slight tang from the sour cream and a softer, more supple crumb.

Making a tray of Jiffy cornbread is always super simple. Per the package instructions, mix the dry ingredients with one egg and ⅓ cup of milk until just combined. Here's where you kick it up a notch: Add half a stick of melted unsalted butter and 2 tablespoons of sour cream, then pour the batter into your baking pan of choice and bake in a 400-degree Fahrenheit oven for roughly 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. (Friendly reminder: the more shallow the pan, the faster the cornbread will bake.) As with any baked good, always be careful not to overmix the batter; doing so can activate the wheat flour's gluten and result in a tough cornbread. To bring out even more flavor, an additional drizzle of hot honey is always welcome. Of course, there are plenty of other ways to amp up your cornbread as well.

When it comes to ingredients you can mix in to your upgraded boxed cornbread batter, the options are endless. Add shredded cheese and diced jalapeños (my preferred cornbread combination) for a spicy, savory twist. Substitute chopped pimientos for the jalapeños, and you have a pimento cheese-inspired take on cornbread, a delicious mashup of two beloved Southern classics. Stir in some fresh corn kernels for sweeter corn flavor and a lovely pop of texture. The same sour cream and butter trick also works with Jiffy's Hot Honey Corn Muffin Mix, which brings an extra layer of sweetness and heat to the table.

It's important to use unsalted butter if you're going for a sweeter cornbread, simply to maintain control over the cornbread's salt content — Jiffy's mix already has salt in it. Another ingredient tip to keep in mind is that if you don't have sour cream on hand, full-fat Greek yogurt is a perfectly acceptable substitution. Buttermilk is another acidic substitution, but it has a much thinner viscosity than sour cream, so we recommend using a ratio of ¾ cups of buttermilk to 1 cup of sour cream. With the right balance of moisture and fat, your cornbread will be unforgettable.