We Made Jennifer Garner’s Favorite Cornbread. Here’s What We Thought.
Updated: Mar. 03, 2023
Get your skillets ready.
Regular cooking shows are great, but have you ever seen a pretend cooking show? That’s the title of the hilariously adorable (and wildly relatable) video series that Jennifer Garner hosts on her Instagram. She’s made everything from granola bars to bagels, but one of her most recent kitchen conquests? Her mom’s famous skillet cornbread.
I love Jen, cornbread and anything cooked in a cast-iron skillet, so I knew I had to attempt the recipe myself. I queued up the recipe, watched—and rewatched—Jen make the bread (with commentary from Mama Garner), and then got to baking.
How to Make Jennifer Garner’s Cornbread
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 3/4 cup cornmeal
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 1 cup buttermilk
Directions
Step 1: Preheat the skillet
The secret to this cornbread is preheating oil in the skillet before you even add the batter.
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Add the oil to the skillet and slide it in the oven.
Step 2: Mix the ingredients
Mix the dry ingredients and then slowly stir in the egg and buttermilk. Jen’s mom says it should be thin like pancake batter.
Step 3: Bake
Carefully remove the pan from the oven, sizzling oil and all. Pour the oil into the batter (mixing it thoroughly) before pouring the final mixture back into the hot skillet. Bake for 10 minutes.
Once it is slightly golden brown on top, take it out of the oven and let cool. Then, add a healthy helping of butter on top and dig in!
The Final Result
I have never been friends with cornbread in the past (just ask my ex-boyfriend who was the unfortunate taste tester of all my failed attempts). But I (well, Jen) really nailed it with this one. Maybe it was the skillet. Maybe it was the generous amount of butter. But whatever it was, the cornbread turned out even more delicious than I could have hoped!
It was moist yet chewy and just the right amount of crumbly. I’ll definitely be making it again soon, and would recommend it to beginner and veteran bakers alike.
Feeling inspired by Jen’s down-home cooking? You can whip up her mom’s cornbread yourself, and it would pair perfectly with one of our favorite Southern comfort food recipes. Now that’s a finger-lickin’ meal!
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Originally Published: October 08, 2020
