Cheddar-jalapeno Corn Sticks

Total Time: 30 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup well-shaken buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 4 ounces coarsely grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese (1 cup)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped scallion ( and pale green parts only)
• 1 -2 tablespoon finely chopped drained pickled jalapeno pepper
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 425°f.
• 2 heat 2 well-seasoned cast-iron corn stick pans (or a well-seasoned 9-inch cast-iron skillet) in middle of oven for 10 minutes.
• 3 whisk together cornmeal, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
• 4 whisk together buttermilk and egg in another bowl and add cornmeal mixture with cheddar, scallion, jalapeños, and 2t butter, stirring, until just combined.
• 5 remove pans from oven and divide remaining 2 t butter along corn stick molds.
• 6 quickly divide batter among molds (about 3 t each) and bake until a tester comes out clean and tops are golden, 12 to 15 minutes.
• 7 (if using a cast-iron skillet, pour all of the batter into it and bake 15 to 20 minutes.) cool corn sticks in pans 3 to 5 minutes before removing from molds.
• 8 serve warm.