Every potluck I go to during the holiday season is missing one thing:  savory breads or muffins.  We have a lot of chili, tons of soups or pastas and more than our share of desserts.  But, I like a little bread with my soup or chili so I am always left missing the one thing that just isn’t there.  For our office holiday potluck and my own Christmas party, I set out to remedy that problem by baking cayenne bacon chile cornbread mini muffins.

These little muffins are the perfect complement to pretty much any dish you’ll find at the holiday party this year.  So, take trip to your local Walmart for the supplies and then whip up a batch and watch everyone rush the table for one…or five.

What You’ll Need:
1 cup buttermilk (slightly warmed)
1/4 cup Land O’ Lakes butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs, room temperature
1 cup flour
1 cup fine cornmeal
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 red chile, finely chopped
3/4 cup shredded 4 cheese blend cheddar cheese, divided
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
Cayenne Candied Bacon {recipe also repeated below}
1/2 lb bacon
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cayenne pepper
Optional: 2 Tbsp Land O’ Lakes butter, melted

Let’s Make It:
1)  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil and top with a wire baking rack sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.  Lay bacon flat on the baking rack.

2)  In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cayenne pepper; stirring well.  Spoon brown sugar mixture on top of the bacon slices and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until done.  Let cool and break into small pieces.  You will want 3/4 cup of bacon pieces when done.

3)  Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.  Line 24 mini muffin cups with liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray.

4)  In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, melted butter and eggs.  Set aside.

5)  In a large bowl, mix together flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt.  Add wet ingredients and stir until smooth.  Stir in 1/2 cup of four cheese blend, 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan, 3/4 cup of bacon pieces and the chopped chile.  Stir well.

6)  Divide batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 20 minutes.  Cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then transfer to a wire cooling rack.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  If desired, brush the tops with the melted 2 Tbsp of butter before serving.

If you are looking for additional holiday recipes to try, you should take a look at the Land O’ Lakes Holiday Brochure.  There are lots of recipes in the brochure for holiday baking and cooking.

Just in time for the holidays, Land O’ Lakes is also offering readers a chance to win a $250 gift card to Walmart!
To enter, simply do the following:
– Follow Land O’ Lakes on Pinterest
– Enter your email address on the form below
– Pin the image to any of your Pinterest Boards
– Visit this Pinterest board and re-pin your favorites to one of of your boards

One winner will be selected at random after the contest ends on January 14, 2014.