When I think of my mom, I think a lot about what she taught me as far as cooking goes. I was her shadow in the kitchen from as long as I can remember. I was always curious about what she was putting in her bowls, what she was mixing things with and how she was cooking them. Because we had a large family, mom had a set of core recipes she would make on a regular basis. We had a lot of pot roasts, spaghetti, soups, stews and lots of chili. Boy did we love mom’s chili! I tweaked her basic recipe with my 3 Bean Slow Cooker Chuck Roast Chili, and now that is a family favorite in my own home. When it is cold outside, there is nothing I love better than a steaming bowl of chili and some of my Sweet & Spicy Southwest Corn Bread. Boy oh boy is that a winning combination!
This is one of those recipes of mine that you can totally play with the ingredients. I am not a huge fan of jalapenos, so I sometimes replace that with a green pepper or a green chili. Chris loves jalapenos, so I will make a special batch for him with no peppers and just the jalapeno. If you are not a fan of the sweet cornbread, you can leave out the honey and it will not hurt the end result.
The onr thing I love about cornbread is the texture. It drives my husband crazy, but I will crumble a few pieces into my chili and then mix it up. Soooooo good ya’ll! But, if you are a dipper like he is, that is OK too! Basically, the cornbread is a vehicle to get that chili into your mouth, so slop that stuff up and get it into your belly STAT!! Enjoy!
Sweet & Spicy Southwest Corn Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 Tbsp. baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tbsp. honey
- 1 fresh jalapeno, diced
- 1/4 orange and red pepper, diced
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400ºF. Grease bottom and side of 8x8 baking pan.
- Beat milk, butter and eggs in large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients all at once just until flour is moistened. Pour batter into pan.
- Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

What is your secret to the perfect cornbread?
I bet that is so good right out of the oven! I can’t wait to try this.
That looks so good. Southwest cornbread is so good with so many things. I especially love it with chili.
This looks so delicious! My friend loves to make chili and cornbread so I’ll have to share this with him! I’m sure he will love a new way to spice up his usual recipe! Now that it’s getting cooler out we will be in chili/soup making mode!
My husband cooks up barbecue all the time. While he cooks that up, I cook up southwest corn bread. I’ll give this recipe a try next time.
my secret is no lard and only butter. the butter gives it the best butterry taste! yum.
This looks so good! I love a good cornbread recipe!
My family loves corn bread! This looks and sounds so delicious with the different peppers in it! They also look really festive for the holidays with the red and green. Thank you for sharing 🙂
This looks like a great recipe! I love making chili and cornbread goes with chili so well! I’m excited to give this interesting twist on cornbread a try!
I LOVE cornbread. I prefer mine sweet with chunks of corn. I am so country I could eat it every day!
This is just the kind of cornbread my family would love. That jalapeno kick would go great with some spicy bbq.
That looks delicious. When I have had corn bread, instead of adding fresh jalapeno, I added cooked bacon bits. I am not a fan of jalapeno, but I love bacon 🙂
This seems like something my mom would like. She gets really into the tex mex flavors while I like my cornbread sweet and southern.
My dad is a HUGE corn bread fan and he loves things spicy. This would be the perfect marriage for him. When he comes for a visit I am going to try this.
Ooh, that looks delicious. Forget the main course – I would be happy with just the cornbread!
Haha that’s so true. I can easily fill up on cornbread before the main course.
I love cornbread with a hint of sweetness, but for some crazy reason, my kids don’t! I may have to try your recipe. Maybe the kick will balance out the sweetness!
Oh yum this sounds absolutely delicious – I would love a piece warm. x
We really love corn bread, looks yummy and tasty, I’m gonna try to do this, this coming Christmas.
The beautiful colors in the cornbread make it seem like a festive dessert. It will be fun to make it with some chili as a side next week.
My boyfriend loves cornbread but I never thought about spicing it up! I bet he’d love this.
I love cornbread… but I like honey on mine. Wonder if that would still taste okay since this is spicy? Maybe just stick with butter when I make it. Yum!
I am not a fan of corn bread, but this looks like something my oldest would like because she loves corn bread.
I love corn bread. It sounds really good!
Love, love, love cornbread! I’ll have to give this one a try. Love the spicy!
we are corn bread eaters in my house! My girls and I adore a sweet corn bread and my husband and son love a spicy corn bread!
Oh my goodness this sounds delicious. It is exactly what I was hungry for today. Saving this for sure and going to Tweet it out too. Mmm.
That looks very tasty. Ive never had spicy corn bread. Thank you for sharing.
I gasped in front of the computer. I love corn bread! I’m from the Southwest, SCORE!! I can’t wait to make this, thanks for taking the time to share this recipe!
I love cornbread and don’t make it enough. It goes well with so many different foods. I think your recipe looks like it is a winner and I am going to give it a try next time I make chili.
I love a good, moist cornbread. I love that this one has a spicy kick.
I would definitely have to take out the jalapenos but everything else sounds amazing! I love corn bread but don’t make it often because I’m the only one in the family who does like it
Anything sweet and spicy is a winner for me. This looks super delicious! Thanks a lot for the recipe.
This is a great spin on the traditional corn bread! Sometimes you need to add a little oomph to the recipe and this version does just that!
This cornbread sounds awesome! My hubby would be all over the jalapenos! He loves them.
I love corn bread. I haven’t made it in such a long time. Going to have to give your recipe a try.
Oh I’m making chili this weekend and this would be perfect to go with it. I can’t wait to try it out!
I’ve grown up with sweet corn bread. Never heard of a spicy variety until now. As kids my brothers used to call cornbread cake. LOL
Yum! I love cornbread when it is super moist. This looks like one of those recipes. I am giving this one a pin for later!
How awesome! I am so making this for my Spicy loving husband. we do a lot of chili this time of year and cornbread with a kick would take our meal to another level.
I love finding ways to spice up traditional recipe like this one. Who doesn’t love a little kick in their cornbread right? Yum!
I love sweet cornbread and my son loves spicy. I think everyone in the house would find something to love about this cornbread.
I love cornbread. This sounds like a great new take on cornbread for me. I can’t wait to try it.
My Aunt Brenda used to make corn bread all of the time. I would love to recreate her cooking by making this delicious recipe!
This type of cornbread is perfect for me. I like a little bite and a littte sweet. Yum.
Oh yum! I will be trying your recipe! Thanks for sharing!
I love corn bread and this one looks super yummy! Thanks for sharing
Great recipe! This is really a go to side for my family. My kids love it with butter!
Sweet and Spicy my favorite food combo. I will have to try this cornbread recipe out during the holidays.
I don’t have a secret for mine. I still haven’t found one I love so I’ll have to try yours!
Oh my gosh. This look like heaven! I will be making this very soon!
Corn bread is one of my favourite things to eat! I really need to give it a try with a south west twist.
What a wonderful addition of peppers to give a little kick to something that is usually so sweet!
This corn bread with the peppers sounds amazing and I have not made corn bread in a while so I will have to make it. My sons love jalapenos and this would indeed be a treat for them
.
My grandmother made corn bread similar to this… it so delicious!
I have never tried any cornbread based recipe before, but my husband always wanted something out of it. This looks like a wonderful & healthy recipe to try a perfect add for the weather we have around here. I feel so hungry just seeing those cut pieces of the yummy bread.
I love cornbread especially when it’s sweet. I do like adding fun ingredients and this one looks delicious.
Do you know if you can make this in a cast iron skillet? I have started to make my cornbread in that and my kids and hubby just love it.
This sounds like it would be terrific with plain or mixed soup beans & ham, as well as chili and other soups. Thanks for sharine…