An enhanced sweet cornbread that starts with Jiffy mix.

Hacked Jiffy Cornbread

I started this recipe website Deep South Dish back in 2008, when there really weren't many food blogs, much less many focused in any manner on southern cooking. Boy has that changed and talk about competitive!

There are now some very ambitious and focused 30-somethings out there and hey, I'm super proud of them. Support them please! They are hard workers.

On the other hand, me, I'm just a home cook, twice their age, sharing my recipes and just a tiny little bit outside of that league, so a special shout out to those of you who have been here and supported me and my old-school ways and recipes from the beginning. I love y'all!

Anyway, I have learned a few things about Southern cooking (and cornbread) over my years of blogging, including:

• Sometimes Southerners get stuck in a recipe rut of not realizing that what they grew up with might be a little different than what other Southerners grew up with - and that it's all okay!

• So yeah, Southerners are super passionate about their food, and their cornbread, and they can sure get kind of demanding about how anyone else should prepare cornbread.

• Grocery store cornmeal can be a little harsh and, in my opinion, doesn't make a great cornbread without at least a little flour. Sometimes it even benefits from a pinch of sugar {gasp!}.

• The best cornbread, in my little ole opinion, is made with a quality stone ground cornmeal. There isn't much in the way of that available down here along the Gulf Coast, so I get mine via mail from the mills of The Great Smoky Mountains and buy a few bags to store up in the freezer. It just makes a mighty fine cornbread, and, because of the texture, no flour is needed. I use the slightly different recipe found only in my cookbook with that cornmeal.

• Despite the demands and myths that Southern cornbread should not have any sugar whatsoever, I've discovered that a LOT of Southerners do love a sweet cornbread. The Cajun is one of those people - he has a sweet tooth and while he loves my savory cornbread, he really loves sweet cornbread.

• I have brought sweet cornbread to potlucks, had it gobbled up and been asked for the recipe, so yes, there are plenty of folks, in the South, who actually love sweet cornbread.

• Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix has been around since the 1930s and is a best seller in the South and though it's an excellent mix to use for recipes, it's also a tasty and quick, I'm in a hurry, cornbread to make. It contains sugar, and in fact, per the package, sugars rank at 30% per serving.

So, people in the South, do like sweet cornbread. Even if they don't talk much about it!

I always keep a few boxes around, and though plain Jiffy prepared according to the package directions with egg and milk added for cornbread is good, it's even better with a little bit of adjustment.

Here's how I make my Hacked Jiffy Cornbread.

As always, full recipe text with measurements and instructions, as well as a printable document, are a little bit further down the page. Just swipe or scroll past the step-by-step pictures below. 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 9-inch baking pan. Double this recipe if you need a 9 x 13-inch dish.

Whisk together the 2 boxes of Jiffy corn muffin mix, salt and pepper. I'm sure there are other packaged mixes that will work, but this recipe was tested with Jiffy brand, so I can only attest to the outcome with that brand.

Beat together buttermilk and eggs and melt the stick of butter.

Make a well in the center and add buttermilk and melted butter to the center well. Gently blend together.

Add sour cream or mayonnaise and gently incorporate.

Transfer mixture to the prepared dish.

Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with only a few crumbs and cornbread is golden brown. Keep in mind that because all ovens vary in the way they cook, you may need more or less time when baking anything, so keep an eye on your cornbread!

Let rest 5 minutes on wire rack before cutting.

Unable to view the printable below on your device? Click here.

Posted by Mary on March 20, 2022

Material Disclosure: Unless otherwise noted, you should assume that post links to the providers of goods and services mentioned, establish an affiliate relationship and/or other material connection and that I may be compensated when you purchase from a provider. You are never under any obligation to purchase anything when using my recipes and you should always perform due diligence before buying goods or services from anyone via the Internet or offline.

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