Cranberry Maple Cornbread

Last winter I learned how amazing fresh cranberries are for baking - I made those crumb bars and Michelle made great blondies. However, I didn't start using them until the very end of their season! 

This is the second time I've made this amazing skillet cornbread this month. I love cornbread, and this recipe, from Cookie + Kate, is my new favorite.

Today I've been watching Frontier House, one of those PBS series where families "go back in time" and live as authentically as possible in a certain time period. They use cast iron skillets! You can make this cornbread in a normal baking dish as well, though. My directions are written for baking it in a skillet, but you could easily adapt it for a baking dish. Speaking of adapting, this is the cornbread recipe I'll be using for future adaptations!

Frontier House!!

CRANBERRY MAPLE CORNBREAD

Slightly adapted from Cookie + Kate

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 1/2 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbsp coarse salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
3 eggs
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
2 tbsp sugar (normal or turbinado) to top, optional


Preheat oven to 375. Put a 10-12 inch cast iron skillet with relatively high sides on med-hi heat and melt the stick of butter until a little browned.

Meanwhile, whisk together the dry ingredients (cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon) in a medium size bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients (buttermilk, eggs, maple syrup). Combine them in one bowl, mixing until moistened - don't over-mix.

Once the butter is a little browned, swirl it around the skillet. Then turn it into the batter and mix in a little. Add the cranberries and combine them in. Pour the batter into the skillet. If you want, top with a little sugar, especially if you're serving it as dessert instead of a side or snack.

Bake it for 35-40 minutes or until set (test with a knife or toothpick). The cornbread should be browned around the sides and be lifting slightly away from the sides.

Serving:

The first time I made this, we had it with Michelle's chili, which was a great combo! This time I had it for a snack with tea and then Cookie + Kate's Apple Cider Hot Toddy. You could put some butter on it and maybe a little maple syrup if you're serving it as dessert.