Cornbread Bacon Jam Muffin Chili Sliders!

When a Corn Muffin crosses with Bacon Jam and some jalapeno….

….it’s a hot jammin’ party!!

First, I would like to thank The Bacon Jam crew for sending me a jar of their Bacon Jam. It’s AMAZING!!! I wanted to create something that mixes the sweetness from The Bacon Jam with the salty, savoriness of the bacon, so I came up with a Cornbread Chili Slider, but I’ll definitely be using The Bacon Jam for much more!! In fact, as I type, I’m balancing a piece of chocolate topped with some bacon jam and shoving it into my mouth… so addicted 🙂

Ingredients:

For Corn Bread Muffin (makes 12 muffins):

1 cup fine cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg at room temperature, beaten
1/4 cup avocado oil
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk, at room temperature
1/4 cup finely chopped jalapenos (approximately two large jalapenos)
Sprinkle cayenne pepper
6 teaspoons The Bacon Jam

For Chili:

3 tablespoons avocado oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 small red onion, diced
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1/2 seeded jalapeno, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground turkey meat
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried cilantro
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 28 oz. can San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes
Bonus: 1/4 cup The Bacon Jam for some extra smoky bacon flavor!!

Directions:

For Corn Bread Muffin (makes 12 muffins):

Preheat oven to 400F degrees and place liners in muffin pan.
In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients together with a whisk.
In a small bowl, beat the egg and pour into dry ingredients.
Add milk and avocado oil to dry ingredients and whisk until just combined.
Add diced jalapenos (remember to remove the seeds from the jalapenos or you’ll have one kickass spicy cornbread!!) and cayenne pepper and mix in The Bacon Jam.
Fill each liner approximately 3/4 full.
For extra bacon flavor, add a small amount on top, in the center of the muffin batter. It will sink down when it bakes, but creates a nice center of bacon jam when you break it open!

A bit of that Bacon Jam!!!

For Chili:

In a skillet, on medium-high heat, use avocado oil and caramelize onions (cook for about 5-10 minutes).
Add red bell pepper, garlic, jalapeno and cook for 3-4 minutes (or until soft and incorporated with the onions).
Add ground turkey until browned (5-8 minutes).
Add tomato sauce and cook down to reduce the sauce down to a thick gravy consistency.
If you want some extra bacon flavor, this is the time to add in that Bacon Jam!!
Stir in tomato paste and all the seasonings, plus salt and pepper to taste.

Assemble:

Optional toppings: sour cream and shredded cheese.
Use a serrated knife to cut off the bottoms of the muffins and use the muffin tops for the sliders. Save the muffin bottoms to use as toppings for the rest of the chili!!