Sweet Onion and Cheddar Cornbread

Chili and cornbread is such a classic combination. On Monday I shared a delicious Black Bean Chili with Roasted Butternut Squash with you. Today I am sharing with you the amazing cornbread we enjoyed with our chili.  Of course, while I have made several cornbread recipes over the years, cornbread with sweet onions and cheddar is a version I did not have a recipe for...until now. 

The first step in creating this recipe was to select a base, and for that I went to a very trusty source - the back of the cornmeal canister.  Their Easy Corn Bread was a perfect place to begin.  The rest was a little bit of guess work and crossed fingers. 

Sauteed onions and cheddar cheese are the perfect additions that take this basic cornbread recipe to a whole new level. The poppy seeds sprinkled on top add a little visual appeal.  Mike has already requested I make this again.  There is no doubt this Sweet Onion and Cheddar Cornbread will be making a regular appearance at our dinner table this chili season.


Sweet Onion and Cheddar Cornbread 
Yields 16 servings

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup Vidalia or yellow onion, chopped
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt (optional)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded (reserve 1 tablespoon for topping)
1/4 teaspoon poppy seeds

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray 9 inch baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet.  Add onion and saute until softened (about 5-7 minutes).  Reserve 1 tablespoon for topping.  Set aside.  
3. In a large bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, sugar and baking powder.
4. In a small bowl, whisk milk, oil and egg until combined. 
5. Add milk mixture to dry ingredients, mixing just until dry ingredients are moistened.  Fold in onion and and cheese (do not over mix). 
6. Pour batter into prepared pan.  Sprinkle reserved onion and cheese and poppy seeds on top.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Adapted from back of Quaker corn meal canister