Cottage Cheese Honey Butter Cornbread Muffins

Traditional cornbread can sometimes turn out a bit too dry or crumbly.

That is why I love adding blended cottage cheese directly into the batter.

Blending it creates an extra soft texture and keeps every bite moist without hiding the classic corn flavor.

Brushing warm honey butter over the top gives these cottage cheese honey butter cornbread muffins the perfect finish.

They are simple to make and work nicely as a side dish for any weeknight dinner.

Why I Love This Recipe

Incredible Moisture – Blended cottage cheese locks in moisture, ensuring these muffins never turn out dry or crumbly.

Crispy Golden Edges – Greasing the tin with butter creates beautifully crisp edges that contrast with the tender center.

No Gritty Texture – Letting the batter rest softens the cornmeal for a remarkably smooth and delicate crumb.

Sweet and Salty Glaze – The warm honey butter topping with flaky sea salt takes classic cornbread to the next level.

The Ingredients

For the Cornbread Muffins

• 1 cup Yellow Cornmeal
• 1 cup All Purpose Flour
• 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
• 1 tbsp Baking Powder
• 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
• 3/4 tsp Salt
• 1 1/4 cups Full Fat Cottage Cheese
• 2 Large Eggs
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 1/3 cup Honey
• 1/3 cup Unsalted Butter, Melted

For the Honey Butter

• 3 tbsp Unsalted Butter
• 2 tbsp Honey
• 1/4 tsp Flaky Sea Salt

How to Make This Recipe

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400°F and generously grease a 12-cup muffin tin with butter for crisp golden edges.

Step 2

In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Step 3

Blend the cottage cheese, eggs, milk and honey until completely smooth. Add the melted butter and pulse 2-3 times to combine.

Step 4

Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes so the cornmeal softens, which makes the crumb tender instead of gritty.

Step 5

Divide the batter among the cups, filling them nearly to the top.

Step 6

Bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden brown and the tops spring back when lightly pressed.

Step 7

While the muffins bake, melt the butter with the honey. Brush generously over the hot muffins, sprinkle with flaky salt and cool for 5 minutes in the pan before serving warm.

Quick Tips

Blend the Wet Mix Until Completely Smooth

You’ll get the best results if you run your blender until the cottage cheese curds disappear completely.

If you leave any lumps behind, you will get small white spots and gummy pockets in your baked muffins.

The blended mix should look thick and creamy, just like smooth pancake batter, before you stir in the melted butter.

Always Rest the Batter Before Baking

From my experience, giving the batter a 10-minute rest on the counter makes a huge difference in the final texture.

Cornmeal is naturally coarse and takes a few minutes to soak up moisture from the milk and cottage cheese.

Letting it sit softens the grains, giving you a tender crumb instead of a gritty bite.

Grease the Tin with Soft Butter

I recommend rubbing real softened butter into each muffin cup instead of using nonstick cooking spray.

The butter browns against the hot metal in the oven and gives the muffins crispy, savory edges.

It also adds great flavor to the outer crust that cooking spray just cannot match.

More Favorites

• Cottage Cheese Cheddar Jalapeno Bread
• Cottage Cheese Everything Bagel Snack Muffins
• Cottage Cheese Garlic Parmesan Pull-Apart Bread
• Cottage Cheese Honey Oat Bread
• Cottage Cheese Protein Creamy Mac & Cheese

Quick Answers

Is the 10-minute batter rest step really necessary before baking?

Yes, resting the batter gives the coarse cornmeal time to soak up moisture from the liquids.

Skipping this step will leave your muffins with a gritty, dry bite instead of a soft and tender crumb.