Lately I have been using the Bobs Red Mill Cornbread Mix and that recipe is included at the end… but this is my scratch cranberry cornbread recipe with fresh baby ginger worked in.  It’s tender and lightly sweet, with tart pockets of cranberry, a little orange and a warm, bright hum of ginger in every bite. It’s great alongside soup or chili, at a holiday table or warm for breakfast with butter.

Makes 9 servings · 8-inch square pan or 10-inch cast iron skillet · 400°F

Ingredients

  • 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, chopped or halved
  • 2–3 tablespoons sugar, for the cranberries
  • 1 cup yellow cornmeal (medium or fine grind)
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar (up to 1/3 cup for sweeter)
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/4 cups buttermilk (or 1 1/4 cups milk plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice, rested 5 minutes)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 6 tablespoons butter, melted, plus more for the pan
  • 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon finely grated baby ginger (fresh or frozen, grated on a Microplane)
  • 1–2 teaspoons orange zest
  • Optional: 1/4 cup chopped candied ginger, 1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans
  • Optional glaze: 1–2 tablespoons honey or ginger syrup

Directions

  1. Sweeten the berries. Toss the cranberries with 2–3 tablespoons sugar and let sit about 10 minutes while you prep everything else.
  2. Preheat. Heat the oven to 400°F. Butter an 8-inch square pan. For a crisp crust in cast iron, put 1 tablespoon butter in a 10-inch skillet and heat it in the oven while you mix.
  3. Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the cornmeal, flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
  4. Coat the berries. Drain off any juice from the cranberries, then toss them with 1 tablespoon of the dry mix so they don’t sink. Toss the candied ginger and pecans in too, if using.
  5. Mix the wet ingredients. In another bowl, whisk the buttermilk and eggs, then whisk in the melted butter, grated ginger and orange zest.
  6. Combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir just until no dry flour remains. A few lumps are fine. Overmixing makes cornbread tough.
  7. Fold in the berries with a few gentle strokes. Pour into the pan and smooth the top.
  8. Bake 25–30 minutes, until golden and a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Test a spot without a berry, since berries leave the pick wet.
  9. Glaze and cool. If using, brush honey or ginger syrup over the top right out of the oven. Cool 10 minutes before cutting.

How much ginger? Two teaspoons gives a gentle warmth that lets the cranberry lead. A full tablespoon makes the ginger a co-star. Baby ginger is milder than grocery-store ginger, so if you’re using mature ginger, start at the low end.

Using Bob’s Red Mill Cornbread Mix instead: Follow the package with 2 eggs, 1/2 cup melted butter and 1 cup water. Whisk 2 teaspoons grated baby ginger into the wet ingredients with the orange zest. Coat the sweetened cranberries in 1 tablespoon of the mix before folding them in. Bake in an 8-inch square pan at 350°F for 40–45 minutes.

Tips:

  • Frozen cranberries: Fold them in still frozen and expect the bake to run about 5 minutes longer.
  • Chopping cranberries fast: Pulse them a few times in a food processor, or use the two-lid trick. Spread the berries on a container lid, press a second lid on top and slice between them with a long serrated knife. Chopped berries keep their juice in and bake into pockets instead of streaks.
  • Frozen ginger works perfectly here. Grate it straight from the freezer into the wet ingredients.