Recently, I’ve been catching myself adding a little spice to my favorite cheesy dishes. One of my favorites is to add habañero jelly (a sweet and spicy combination) to my grilled cheese sandwiches. When I realized Tillamook Cheese and habañero jelly are a match made in taste bud heaven, I came up with the idea of combining them into sweet and savory dessert. This recipe takes the delicious flavor of cheddar cornbread and kicks it up a notch with spicy habanero and sweet frosting. 

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients: Cheddar Cheese Cornbread Muffins
¾ cup flour
2½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons honey
½ cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup Tillamook Medium Cheddar Cheese Shreds
1 egg
2 tablespoons Tillamook Premium Sour Cream
¾ cup milk
Kelly’s Habañero Jelly (I also tried them with Glenmore Farms Marionberry Preserves – delicious alternative if you don’t like spicy)

Preparation: Cheddar Cheese Cornbread Muffins
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place cupcake papers in a cupcake pan. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, corn meal, and cheese. In a separate bowl, beat egg, add milk, sour cream, and honey.

Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the egg mixture. Stir mixture until dry ingredients are fully moistened. Fill cupcake cups ⅔ full. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes.

Spoon 1 teaspoon of jelly on top of the slightly warm muffin. Let cool for 20 minutes and frost.

Ingredients: Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz pack of cream cheese, at room temperature
¼ cup Tillamook Unsalted Butter
2 cups powdered sugar
½ teaspoon of vanilla extract

Preparation: Cream Cheese Frosting
Beat cream cheese and butter in a mixer with vanilla and gradually add powdered sugar while mixing until mixture thickens. Continue adding sugar to your liking. Put into a piping bag and pipe onto cupcakes. Enjoy!

Best when eaten right away :)

What unlikely combinations will you try making cupcakes with!?!