Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread | Homesick Texans

In 1964, Frank X. Tolbert, a Dallas Morning News columnist who was passionate about chili and other Texan dishes made with peppers, shared a recipe for jalapeño cornbread. He wrote, “It’s made just like any other homemade cornbread, apparently, except there are diced jalapeños and some thick cheese in the baked mixture.”

The recipe was sent by a reader from Gonzales, Texas, which spans both Central and South Texas in its footpaths and culture. Located east of San Antonio on the way to Houston, the small town is known for being the site of the first battle of Texas’ independence.

During a visit you can visit the local museum and see the famous cannon that was used in the battle and is immortalized in the Come and Take It flag. It’s surprisingly small, and the curator who worked on my last visit said most were shocked by its tiny stature.

I know two families from Gonzales, one of Anglo and one of Mexican descent. Both have spoken a lot about their hometown and love it very much. They’ve also shared stories about the foods they grew up with, like steak fingers, tacos, and cured meats.

People often joke that these are the top three food groups in Texas, and there is some truth to that claim. However, I would also add a pot of beans to this list, along with our state dish, chili. And when it comes to a bowl of pintos or chili, there are plenty of good side dishes, including a hot slice of cornbread.

The classic Texas cornbread is a simple quick bread made with just cornmeal, fat, eggs, buttermilk, salt, and baking powder and/or soda. You can add flour to make it more tender, although some purists insist this isn’t necessary. One ingredient that doesn’t belong in cornbread, however, is sugar. This turns it into corn cake.

However, the Gonzales jalapeño cornbread recipe that Tolbert shared contained sugar, which made me curious. Tracing its history has been a challenge, although the first recipes I encountered are from Texas, beginning in the mid-1960s.

As Tolbert noted, this variation typically starts with a standard Texas cornbread mix and then adds peppers along with corn and cheese. Bacon can also come in some versions. It’s similar to what’s shared today, so not much has changed over the years.

Since I made a batch, I tried it without sugar. Since most Texas cornbread purists insist on no sugar, I find it’s a tasty piece without sugar. In fact, my assumption was that the sugar lightens the included corn, which loses its inherent sweetness out of season. If you follow this recipe, give it a try and see if it’s needed or not.

The resulting pan bread is incredibly tender, rich, and moist with peppers, cheese, and onions. The center is almost pudding-like and has a lot in common with spoon bread. While it’s a good vehicle to soak up every last bit of bean, it’s also rich and hearty enough to eat on its own.