Cornmeal? Cupcakes? What?

I know. That’s exactly what I thought when my mom called me up, saying “I can’t wait until you get home, I made the best cupcakes! They’re blackberry cornmeal!” My first reaction was “Ew. Cornmeal is for cornbread. These are going to be gross”

Boy, was I wrong! Now, I wouldn’t exactly call these “cupcakes”, they’re more a member of the muffin family. Either way, they are delicious. I wasn’t expecting them to be sweet, but the sugar in the recipe totally squashed my cornbread assumption. The cornmeal adds an amazing texture that (of course) you don’t get with rice/tapioca type flours. Not quite gritty, but soft and substantial. The moment I tried them, I was surprised, but happy-surprised. We ate them for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and the entire batch was obliterated within about two days. I quickly made another batch, and they became a staple breakfast food. They are really freeze-able, making them good for reheating quickly in the morning. The best part of these muffin/cupcakes were the blackberries. You plop them in the batter, and they slowly cook in the oven, becoming juicy and sweet. Every time you take a bite, a hidden blackberry bursts into your mouth. Thanks to www.erinsfoodfiles.com, a great foodie website (not gluten free, but has fabulous recipes). I slightly modified her Blackberry Cornmeal Cupcakes to make them GF. Here it is!

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour (I used Beth’s Gluten Free All Purpose Flour)
• 1/2 c. fine- or medium-ground yellow cornmeal
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 1/4 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 7 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 containers (6 oz. each) fresh blackberries

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375 F. Line 18 standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and 1 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar. Set aside remaining sugar. In another bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, and melted butter. Pour over flour mixture, whisking to combine.

• Fill each lined cup with a scant 1/4 cup batter. Top batter with blackberries (3-4 berries per cup), then sprinkle evenly with the remaining 2 tbsp sugar

• Bake until evenly browned on top, 20-25 minutes.

I hope you enjoy these “cupcakes” as much as I did!

xoxo

juliet