Are you like me, in that you don’t really go for that super dense, cumbersome cornbread? On a trip to South Carolina over the summer we went to a fantastic restaurant with the BEST cornbread! It was almost like cake, just moist, fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth….No exaggeration, my sweet son Cal INHALED two man-size pieces in about 2 minutes. I had to try and re-create it at home or I could never rest. Never. No exaggeration. So here you go! It pairs perfectly with any kind of soup, and the addition of some salty, chewy bits from the bacon? Hush your mouth!

You will need…

• 5 pieces of fried bacon (drippings reserved)
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 TBS baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 3 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 350. Butter a 9×13 baking dish and set aside.

Cook the bacon in a skillet until crispy. Set aside to cool, making sure to reserve 1 TBS of the drippings.

Mix the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Combine the butter, oil, milk, and eggs. Whisk in 1 TBS of bacon fat. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and gently mix to combine.

Chop the bacon into small pieces and gently fold into the batter. Transfer to the buttered baking dish, and bake for 35 minutes or until the edges are just starting to brown.

Add in some fresh jalepeno for extra kick! Here’s a handy printable!