With a name like Aunt Betsy’s Cornbread, I got really excited that someone thought enough of their aunt’s cornbread that they named it after her. I can picture some cute little niece or nephew saying, “My Aunt Betsy makes the best cornbread!” Which is why I think I did something wrong when I made this recipe. I love a good homemade cornbread recipe, and I think this could be one with a couple adjustments. When I started this blog, I promised myself I would post every recipe I tried, even the ones that I failed to make correctly. I didn’t feel too bad since the cost of the recipe is about $1.08. Cornbread is such a great side dish when you are watching your budget!
Mine turned out very dense and dry. It still had a good flavor, but it was like eating sand. My oldest daughter that loves cornbread managed to choke it down with a lot of butter, jam and water. After doing some research online, I found recipes with 2 cups of milk and used 2 cups of cornmeal. I used 3 to make the stiff batter and I think it was one too many. I also cooked it for 30 minutes and probably should have checked it after 20. Gotta fail sometimes to learn, right? As of right now, I haven’t remade this recipe to try it because no one in my house even wants to hear about Aunt Betsy just yet.
Original Recipe
Aunty Betsy’s Cornbread. Beat one egg light with a pinch of salt; and two cups of sweet milk, two tablespoonfuls of molasses, a level tablespoonful of butter melted, sufficient corn meal to make a rather stiff batter, but one that will pour; add two teaspoonfuls of baking powder mixed with the corn meal.
Printed in The Wichita Daily Eagle Sun on March 22, 1903
Aunt Betsy's Cornbread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 large Egg beaten lightly
- 1 pinch Salt
- 2 cups milk
- 2 tbsp molasses
- 1 tbsp butter melted
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 cups cornmeal
Instructions
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Beat the egg lightly in a large bowl. Add the ingredients in the order show. Mix thoroughly.
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Spray an 8" square pan with cooking spray and pour the batter into the pan. Bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
