Honey Sweet Potato Cornbread Recipe

"Cornbread," says recipe developer Jessica Morone, "is a great side dish year-round," but she feels that it's especially well-suited to being part of a Thanksgiving meal. She goes on to say, though, "Adding sweet potato to it makes it feel even more perfect for fall dinners and holidays." Morone assures us that this honey sweet potato cornbread is "very easy to make" and also "tastes really good."

Although honey (and sweet potato) gets a shout-out in the recipe's name, Morone feels that maple syrup is the real special ingredient. In her opinion, "Maple goes so well with sweet potatoes and helps to bring out the sweet potato flavor." As sweet potatoes are naturally sweet (hence the name) and you're adding both honey and maple syrup to the batter, you might think that this cornbread would be super-sugary, but Morone notes, "The cayenne pepper also gives it a touch of heat." She does say, though, that if you don't care for this spice, you can leave it out

In addition to sweet potatoes and honey, you're also going to need cornmeal, flour, baking powder, eggs, milk, sour cream, and salt to make this cornbread. For flavoring, you'll be using cinnamon as well as the aforementioned maple syrup and cayenne.

Add the cubed sweet potatoes to a medium pot of water. Bring to a boil and cook the sweet potatoes until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 10-inch cast iron skillet with cooking oil or melted butter. Place the skillet in the oven to heat while you make the batter.

Add the drained sweet potatoes to a large bowl. Mash until they are smooth.

Add the honey, maple syrup, eggs, milk, and sour cream to the bowl with the sweet potatoes and mix until well combined.

In a separate large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper.

Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the sweet potatoes and mix until just combined.

Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven and spread the batter evenly into the skillet.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Morone feels that this cornbread is pretty versatile, telling us, "You can really serve this as a side dish for any meal, or just eat it as a snack." You can make it to accompany a casual cookout or picnic of barbecued ribs, pulled pork, or chicken, or serve it for a more formal occasion or holiday. Morone feels it would go well with Thanksgiving turkey, but we think it would also complement Easter ham or Christmas roast beef. Pro tip: Cook some extra sweet potatoes to make a sweet potato pie for dessert.

As this cornbread is sweet, it could also make for a nice breakfast treat to accompany a cup of tea or coffee. You can eat it plain but Morone suggests, "Spreading regular butter or making something like cinnamon or maple butter would also be really good on this." If you want to double down on the honey, here's a nutmeg, clove, and cinnamon-spiced honey butter recipe that would go well with this sweet potato cornbread.

This cornbread recipe is meant to be cooked in a 10-inch skillet and then cut into 12 fairly narrow wedges so you won't be overwhelmed with leftovers, but what doesn't get eaten the first day should be good for a while longer. Morone says you can keep it at room temperature for 2 days as long as you store it in an airtight container, but allows that it will keep for a week in the refrigerator if wrapped in plastic. When frozen, of course, the cornbread will last almost indefinitely, although the quality might start to drop off after a few months.

You can repurpose uneaten cornbread in any number of different ways. It can be used in casseroles or to make bread pudding or even French toast. It could also work in panzanella, crab cakes, meatballs, or as the crust for a quiche. Morone has a few suggestions, too, pointing out, "You can also use leftovers to make croutons or stuffing."