Quick & Easy Butter Pecan Cornbread Recipe – Moist, Golden & Delicious

 

This Butter Pecan Cornbread is a rich, tender twist on a classic favorite. Made with toasted pecans, creamy buttermilk, and a hint of brown sugar, it delivers the perfect balance of sweet and savory in every bite.

Baked until light. fluffy and golden brown, this easy cornbread recipe is ideal for holiday dinners, cozy weeknight meals, or as a standout side for soups and stews. Whether served warm with honey on its own or alongside a family meal, it’s a comforting bake that’s sure to impress.

This is a small batch recipe, adapted for the smaller family from a recipe I found on a blog called The View From Great Island. The original recipe made 16 servings. This recipe makes only 8.

 

Cornbread is not something I grew up with. My mother never made it.  I first tasted it when I was a young bride. My sweet mother-in-law gifted me with a little handwritten notebook of favorite family recipes the first Christmas after my husband and were married. There was a recipe for "corncake" in the book.  

This delicious recipe made me fall in love with cornbread and I have been baking and loving cornbread ever since. Not only my MIL's recipe, but many other kinds as well. I have never met a cornbread that I did not like and fall in love with. 

This version is exceptional. Loaded with crunchy toasted pecans and a slight caramel-like sweetness from the use of brown sugar. Buttermilk makes it lovely and moist. Prepare to fall in love!

 

INGREDIENTS NEEDED

TO MAKE BUTTER PECAN CORNBREAD

Standard baking cupboard ingredients.  There is nothing out of the ordinary here.

• 1/4 cup (57g) butter, melted and cooled
• 1/2 cup (120ml) buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup (50g) soft light brown sugar, packed
• 3/4 cup (94g) unsifted all-purpose plain flour
• 1/3 cup (51g) cornmeal
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup (60g) chopped toasted pecans

To top: (optional)

• 1 TBS butter, melted
• 1/4 cup (30g) chopped toasted pecans

 

I use salted butter. I don't really keep any other kind in the house unless absolutely necessary. 

You can easily make your own buttermilk in one of two ways:

1.  Whisk 1 tsp of lemon juice or white vinegar together with enough whole milk to give you the amount of buttermilk required and then leave to clabber for five minutes.

2.  Whisk together equal amounts of full fat yogurt and full fat milk to give you the amount of buttermilk required.

In the U.K. it can be difficult to find cornmeal. I would substitute polenta for the cornmeal. In North America use the fine cornmeal. DO NOT USE SELF-RISING CORNMEAL.

Check below for how to toast your pecans.

 

HOW TO MAKE

BUTTER PECAN CORNBREAD (SMALL BATCH)

This is a very easy make and bake. It goes together simply like most quick bread recipes. Mix the dry. Mix the wet. Mix the two together and then bake.

1. Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Butter a shallow baking dish that is 9 inches by 5 inches in size. Set aside. (I used a vintage Pyrex baking dish that I got from my sister. You could also use a loaf tin of the same size.)
2. Whisk the flour, cornmeal, soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together in a bowl. (I use a small wire whisk and really combine everything well.)
3. Whisk the buttermilk, cooled melted butter (1/4 cup), brown sugar and egg together in a bowl, combining well together. Stir in the pecans. (Use a medium sized bowl so that you can combine this with the dry ingredients comfortably.)
4. Add the dry ingredients all at once to the wet ingredients. Stir together only to moisten. It is okay if it is lumpy. There should be no dry streaks, but it should not be smooth. Do not overmix. (Seriously a somewhat lump batter is preferred for the best cornbread.)
5. Spoon into the prepared pan, smoothing over the top.
6. Whisk the melted butter for the topping together with the pecans and sprinkle evenly over top of the batter. (Although the topping is optional, I highly recommend you use it. It's fabulous.)
7. Bake it the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes until puffy and golden brown. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean. (The top should also spring back when lightly touched.)

 

HINTS AND TIPS 

FOR QUICK BREAD SUCCESS

If you follow my hints and tips there is no reason why you can't bake a really great quick bread successfully!

1. Make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature unless otherwise specified.

2. Use the best quality ingredients that you can afford and at your disposal.

3. Whisk all of the dry ingredients together in one bowl and your wet ingredients together in another bowl/beaker before combining together.

4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients together quickly and do not over mix. They need only be combined until the dry ingredients are evenly moistened without any large pockets or streaks of dry ingredients. 

5. Do not over combine the dough.  A light hand is preferable.  A few lumps are perfectly okay and quite acceptable. Over combining yields a tougher bake.

6. Spoon into your baking pan/tin and pop into the oven as soon as possible after combining in order to gain the maximum lift from the leavening used.

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHAT IS CORNMEAL?

Cornmeal is a coarse flour or light meal ground from dried corn or maize. It comes in a variety of grinds from coarse to fine. It also comes in white, yellow and even blue.  For this recipe today I recommend using the fine grind cornmeal, which is very similar to polenta.

WHY TOAST YOUR PECANS?

Toasting your pecans before baking with them helps to enhance their natural sweetness and nuttiness. To toast them simply pop them onto a baking sheet and toast in a moderate oven (350*F/180*C) for about 8 to 10 minutes. Leave to cool before using. I tend to do mine a whole bag at a time and store them in the freezer to use whenever I need them.

CAN I USE WHITE SUGAR?

I suppose you can, but the flavor is really much nicer when you use brown sugar. It truly helps to give this bread that slightly caramelized butter pecan flavor that we all know and love.

HOW TO STORE LEFTOVERS?

Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature and use within a couple of days. It is best on day one. Leftovers can be reheated in the microwave for about 10 to 15 seconds.

CAN THIS BE FROZEN?

Yes, you can certainly freeze this bread. Wrap tightly in cling film, and then a layer of foil. Label and date and pop into the freezer for up to three months.

 

A FEW OTHER 

CORNBREAD RECIPES TO ENJOY

I have been enjoying baking and eating cornbread for over 50 years now. Here are a few other cornbread recipes which I feel to be exceptional and that you might also enjoy!

EASY MAPLE CORNBREAD with CINNAMON & RAISINS - This cornbread is lightly sweetened with maple syrup and is beautiful served warm, with cold butter from the fridge . . .  sliced into thin slices and laid atop the cut and dimpled surface, the butter melting down into the nooks and crannies and mingling with the dried fruit and spice in the most delicious way.  This is a beautiful cornbread.

MOTHER-IN-LAWS CORNCAKE - This was the cornbread recipe which started my love for cornbread. It is my late mothers-in-law's recipe, and she got it from her own mother. People have been baking this delicious cornbread (also called corncake) for well over 100 years. It's moist and delicious and goes wonderfully with baked beans or chili.

  

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Yield: 8 servings

Author: Marie Rayner

Butter Pecan Cornbread (small batch)

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 35 Min

This quick and easy cornbread goes wonderfully with everything from salads to hot soups to stews. It is even delicious all on it's own spread with butter and drizzled with some honey.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup (57g) butter, melted and cooled
• 1/2 cup (120ml) buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup (50g) soft light brown sugar, packed
• 3/4 cup (94g) unsifted all-purpose plain flour
• 1/3 cup (51g) cornmeal
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup (60g) chopped toasted pecans

To top: (optional)

• 1 TBS butter, melted
• 1/4 cup (30g) chopped toasted pecans

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Butter a shallow baking dish that is 9 inches by 5 inches in size. Set aside.
2. Whisk the flour, cornmeal, soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together in a bowl.
3. Whisk the buttermilk, cooled melted butter (1/4 cup), brown sugar and egg together in a bowl, combining well together.. Stir in the pecans.
4. Add the dry ingredients all at once to the wet ingredients. Stir together only to moisten. It is okay if it is lumpy. There should be no dry streaks, but it should not be smooth. Do not overmix.
5. Spoon into the prepared pan, smoothing over the top.
6. Whisk the melted butter for the topping together with the pecans and sprinkle evenly over top of the batter.
7. Bake it the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes until puffy and golden brown. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.

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