Surprise Cornmeal Muffins

My earliest memory of corn bread (well actually corn muffins) comes from shopping trips I had with my mom and sister.  Now, if you know my mom, she likes to be early for everything.  Not on time.  Early!  This annoying trait has now passed itself down to me.  Thanks mom.  So, whenever we had a PD day @ school, mom would take us shopping.  Stores opened @ 10.  We were there @ 9:15, seriously.  Being early did offer up some perks.  Mostly in the form of muffins, fresh baked muffins.  The place of choice, Mmmmuffins.  It was here, where my love of corn muffins was first realized.  My sister always got a chocolate chip, and to this day remains the only muffin she will eat.  I always got the corn muffin, mostly because I can't remember on one occasion of my mom baking this variety at home.  So the mall was my go-to place when I needed my fix.  Being that we were always early, you could always count on them being warm and fresh out of the oven.  Pure bliss.

This corn muffin recipe comes with a sweet surprise.  Literally sweet as in sugar-sweet, not sweet as in 'this is awesome' (confused?)  Although, technically both sweets would apply, because this muffin is awesome.  On the outside it just looks like a regular muffin.  But one big bite into it and voila...jam, strawberry jam.  I love surprises!  I love jam!

Surprise Cornmeal Muffins

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
pinch of salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1/4 cup applesauce
2 Tbsp oil
4 Tbsp strawberry jam

Method:
Preheat oven to 400F.  Line muffin tins with paper cups.  Set aside.
In large bowl combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar and salt.  Mix well. 
In separate bowl combine milk, egg, oil and applesauce.  Pour into dry ingredients, stirring until just combined.
Fill muffin tins 1/2 way, top with 1 heaping tsp jam, fill another 1/4 way (should be 3/4 full in total)  Repeat process for remaining muffins.  Top with sugar.
Bake 20-25 minutes.

Yield: 12 muffins