Tuesday, May 13, 2025

HOW TO MAKE CORNBREAD WITH A TWIST & WIN A NEW YORK CHEESECAKE from @CleoCoyle



From Cleo CoyleHappy spring, everyone! Marc and I recently sent out a special Spring Fling Newsletter with book news, fun info, videos, recipes, and a tasty Basket of Goodies Giveaway that includes a chance to win a fantastic prize package featuring... 


> A signed copy of our brand-new Coffeehouse Mystery, No Roast for the Weary, in its beautiful first edition hardcover format. 

> A sturdy, canvas Coffeehouse Mystery tote bag. 

> A set of Cleo recipe cards, and... 

> A whole New York Cheesecake (regular or sugar-free/lowcarb) shipped from a famous NYC restaurant!




Click here to jump 
to our giveaway!


NOTE: You must be an active subscriber of our 
Cleo Coyle Newsletter to win. See you there! 

And now...

giph courtesy giphy


Let's make some 
Cornbread with a Twist!




Cleo Coyle writes two
 bestselling mystery
 series with her husband.
To learn more,
 click here.


  A Recipe Note from Cleo

Here in New York, the beloved toasted corn muffin, slathered with butter, has been a classic morning nosh at diners and delis for decades. Maybe that's why I prefer to eat my cornbread as a breakfast food or an afternoon coffee-break cake.

I know many of you don't see it that way. For you, cornbread is strictly a dinner item, served as a savory side with ribs or chicken. You might add corn kernels or chopped jalapeños to your batter but never sugar. 

To you I say: keep an open mind! :) 

If you’re not a fan of dry, grainy cornbread, this may be the recipe for you, with or without the sugar. The crumb is tender and tasty (more cake-like). The sour cream is my secret, along with my (subjectively favorite) ratio of flour to cornmeal.

This sweet cornbread is delicious plain, slathered with butter, or even drizzled with orange blossom honey. And speaking of a slight note of citrus, that's one twist I enjoy giving to my breakfast corn bread. 
I like to add a little orange zest to my morning cornbread. The light orange fragrance in the warm, sweet bread starts off my spring day just right. If you’re not a fan of oranges, leave it out. But it you are, you may enjoy it as much as I do. 




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To download a free PDF of this
recipe 
that you can print,
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click here.



Cleo Coyle's
Cornbread with a Twist


Makes one 8- or 9-inch square pan of cornbread 
(This recipe will also work in a 7 x 11-inch pan.) 

Ingredients

1 large egg
1/2 cup milk (whole is best or 2%)
1/2 cup sour cream 
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1-1/2 cup all-purpose flour 
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
(optional) 1 tablespoon orange zest (grated orange peel, no white pith)


CLEO INGREDIENT NOTE: If you've never "zested" an orange, lemon or lime, Chef Gordon Ramsay will show you how in the video below... 



If you don't see a video below, click here to watch it.




CLEO NOTE CONTINUED... 

Although I have a boxed grater like Chef Ramsay's, I find a microplane grater/zester makes zesting citrus fruits even easier and well worth the small investment. To see the stainless steel microplane tool that I use (and/or purchase one for yourself), click here. 


Directions:

One bowl mixing method: First preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. In a mixing bowl, whisk together egg, milk, sour cream, sugar, salt, and oil. 




When the mixture is well blended and the sour cream smoothly incorporated, measure in the flour and cornmeal. Evenly sprinkle over the baking powder and soda. If using, add orange zest now. 


Switching to a spoon or spatula, mix to create a lumpy batter. Do not over-mix or you’ll develop the gluten in the flour and your cornbread will be tough instead of tender. 



Prep an 8- or 9-inch square pan by coating with 
non-stick spray (or buttering and dusting with flour). 




Pour batter into pan and 
spread into an even layer.




Bake in preheated oven
for about 25 minutes. 




When a toothpick inserted in the center 
comes out clean, remove from oven. 






Then cut into squares, and...

Eat with joy! 

Cleo



CLEO COYLE is a pseudonym for Alice Alfonsi, writing in collaboration with her husband, Marc Cerasini. Both are New York Times bestselling authors of the long-running Coffeehouse Mysteries, now celebrating more than twenty years in print. With more than 1 million books sold, they have gained an enthusiastic following. Cleo's "relentlessly entertaining" (Criminal Element) novels have been translated into Spanish, Japanese, and Czech; earned starred reviews from Library Journal and Kirkus; received Best of Year selection honors from multiple reviewers; and have been recommended by Booklist as among the best culinary mysteries for core library mystery collections. Alice and Marc are also bestselling media tie-in writers who have penned properties for Lucasfilm, NBC, Fox, Disney, Imagine, Toho, and MGM. They live in New York City, where they write independently and together, including the nationally bestselling Haunted Bookshop Mysteries.




Visit Cleo's online coffeehouse here.

And follow Cleo at these links...


National Mystery Bestseller 

(Triple) #1 Amazon Category Bestseller 

Fresh Fiction Readers' Selection



To Buy:

Amazon 

Barnes & Noble

Bookshop.org

+ More Buy Links


"EASILY ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS THAT I HAVE READ THIS YEAR...10 STARS!"  Escape with Dollycas into a Good Book 

 

"A KNOCKOUT STORY....one of the best books in this endearing series...a TERRIFIC READ..." —Dru Ann Love, Raven Award-winning reviewer, Dru's Book Musings













No Roast for the Weary is also a culinary mystery with a killer menu of delicious recipes. Click here or on the image below to see the free illustrated guide to our book's recipe section...


Click here or the image above for
Cleo's Free Illustrated Guide to
the recipes you'll find published in
 No Roast for the Weary.




Get a free Title Checklist of
Cleo Coyle's Books in Order
Click here 
or on the image below.


NOTE: You must be an active subscriber
of our newseltter to win. Good luck!


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5 comments:

  1. I simply loved No Roast for the Weary. The climax really blew me away. What a great read. Thanks Cleo.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It has been ages since I had a corn muffin toasted on a griddle!
    Think I'm going to have to make this to make up for it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love a sweet cornbread in the morning, too, likely because I spent twenty years working in Manhattan. I love the Coffeehouse Mysteries, Though I don't live in New York City anymore, reading about Clare's adventures is like a visit to my hometown.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Those delicious looking photos made my mouth water. Very excited to read No Roast for the Weary. I have it on hold at my local library.

    ReplyDelete
  5. No Roast for the Weary made me laugh, cry, and wish for another Coffeehouse Mystery. Thank you, Cleo/

    ReplyDelete