There are so many different varieties of cornbread it’s usually hard to narrow it down. Depending on what region of the country you are in will vary the kind of cornbread you get vastly. Northern cornbread is a little sweet but then smothered in maple syrup or honey, southerners fry it and call it hush puppies (which is slightly different then this Midwestern girl knows as a hush puppy) and speaking of the Midwest, we love it sweet and smothered with butter. This recipe is a blend of midwest and northern cornbread (in my mind anyhow), it is lightly sweetened and topped (but not drowned, we are trying to be healthy people) with maple syrup butter (recipe to follow, not that it’s hard). And even better it uses whole wheat flour! I originally made this recipe using 1/4 cup maple syrup, next time I think I will use a little more since the midwest in me craves it, and then less butter would be needed to get that nice sweet flavor that we love from a simple cornbread. Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Maple Cornbread    (Print Me)

Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (If you use white flour you will probably have to use more like 1 1/4 c)
1 cup stone ground or yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk (I used skim)
1/4 – 1/2 cup maple syrup (you could also use honey)
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 425° F. Spray a 8 or 9-inch square or round baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk the milk, maple syrup, melted butter, and eggs. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently stir together just until moistened. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Serve warm with butter and maple syrup.

Adapted from: Cooking for Seven