I think everyone can agree the best part about fall is the food. I mean a cozy bowl of chili on a blustery day? Perfect. Especially when it’s served with pumpkin maple cornbread. For most of my life I just wasn’t a huge fan of cornbread. It was always a little dry and grainy, but this one completely changed my perspective! The inside is perfectly moist from the pumpkin while a the top gets nice and caramelized and a sprinkle of toasted pumpkin seeds adds a little crunch. Plus, it’s so easy! Just simple ingredients and one bowl, it’s pretty much foolproof. This cornbread paired with a bowl of my Vegan Three Bean Chili— the coziest fall meal!

I personally prefer my cornbread to have a finer crumb, so I use masa harina which is a fine corn flour that has a slightly different flavor than cornmeal. If you want a your cornbread to be a little more course, I recommend using fine to medium grind cornmeal. If you want, you can do a mixture of both masa harina and corn meal. I like using 3/4 cup masa harina to 1/2 cup medium grind cornmeal.

Ingredients: 

1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/4 cup masa harina (see above)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup plantbased milk
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup pumpkin purée (not pie filling)
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp olive oil or vegan butter
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp real maple syrup
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 F and generously grease an 8 x 8 baking dish.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together apple cider vinegar and milk. Set aside for five minutes to curdle.
3. Add the remaining wet ingredients, whisking until smooth. Sift in dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Careful not to over mix. Smooth in an even layer in your prepared baking dish and bake for 30 minutes.
4. To make the maple glaze, whisk together remaining butter and maple syrup (it’s ok if they don’t homogenize). Remove your cornbread from the oven and brush generously with the glaze. Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes or until golden brown and a inserted toothpick comes out clean.
5. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

Recipe adapted from Isa Chandra Moskowitz