Honey Cornbread Latte Recipe (Homemade Cornbread Syrup)

Honey butter, cornmeal, caffeine and comfort. A toasted cornmeal and honey syrup turns a strong cup of coffee into cornbread in a mug.

Honey Cornbread Latte Recipe (Homemade Cornbread Syrup)

Sally's Kitchen · Liquid Dessert

Honey Cornbread Latte

Honey butter, cornmeal, caffeine and comfort. We couldn't resist.

Sweet southern-style cornbread, drizzled with honey butter, is one of the great comfort foods. So the obvious next question was: now make it a latte. This one starts with a syrup made from toasted cornmeal, butter and honey, stirred into a strong cup of Crème Brûlée Flavored Coffee.

It sounds odd until you taste it. The toasted cornmeal smells like the edges of a good cornbread pan, and the honey and butter do the rest. You will know the syrup is ready by its smell and its look: nutty and warm, and about as thick as a thin caramel.

Make it hot, make it iced, and top it with a little honey cornbread cold foam if you are feeling it.

Pinterest pin of a cornbread latte in a clear glass made with homemade honey cornbread syrup

Why You'll Love It

  • It tastes like cornbread with honey butter, in a mug.
  • One small pan and a sieve. No baking required.
  • Forgiving and adjustable: use 1 to 3 Tbsp of syrup depending on how sweet you like your latte.
  • Hot or iced, with or without the cold foam.

Yield

About 1 cup of syrup

Time

About 15 min + cooling

Vibe

Warm & buttery

The Coffee That Makes This Work

Crème Brûlée Flavored Coffee is a medium roast Brazilian bean with vanilla custard up front and a burnt caramel finish. That soft custard-and-caramel backdrop is exactly what honey butter and toasted cornmeal want to sit on, so the latte tastes like a dessert instead of a sugary coffee. You could use another medium roast, but this is the one the recipe was built around.

Shop Crème Brûlée Flavored Coffee →

Available in whole bean, ground, pods, and decaf. Never tried it? The 2oz sample is a good place to start. Fresh roasted, enough for a few cups to know if it's yours.

Part 1: Honey Cornbread Syrup

  • 3 Tbsp cornmeal
  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • Pinch of salt
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ¾ cup water
  • 2 Tbsp honey
  1. Toast the cornmeal. In a pan over medium heat, toast the cornmeal until it smells fragrant, usually about 3 minutes. Why it works: toasting wakes up the corn flavor, the same way it does for nuts.
  2. Add the butter. Lower the heat, add the butter and stir until it melts into the cornmeal. It will look like a paste.
  3. Add the sugars and salt. Stir in both sugars and the pinch of salt to combine.
  4. Add the water and honey. Pour in the water slowly (it will sizzle), then add the honey and whisk until everything is fully incorporated. Simmer on low for 3 to 5 minutes. Why it works: adding the water slowly keeps the sizzle under control and helps the paste dissolve into a syrup.
  5. Cool and strain. Take it off the heat, let it cool, and strain it through a fine mesh sieve. Keep it in the fridge for up to 10 days. It will be about as thick as a thin caramel. Why it works: straining takes out the cornmeal, so the drink stays smooth.

Part 2: The Latte

  • 2 oz brewed espresso, or 4 oz strong brewed Crème Brûlée Flavored Coffee
  • 2 Tbsp Honey Cornbread Syrup
  • 6 oz milk of choice
  • Crushed ice (iced version)
  • Chai spice sugar or turbinado cinnamon sugar, to dust (optional)

Honey Cornbread Cold Foam (optional)

  • 2 Tbsp heavy cream
  • 1 Tbsp milk
  • ½ Tbsp Honey Cornbread Syrup

Hot

  1. Put the syrup in the bottom of your mug and brew the coffee directly over it. Stir to combine.
  2. Heat and froth the milk to the texture you like, then pour it over the coffee.
  3. Dust with chai spice or turbinado cinnamon sugar, if you like.

Iced

  1. Fill a tumbler about two-thirds with crushed ice, pour the milk over it, and set aside.
  2. Stir the syrup into the brewed coffee and pour it over the milk.
  3. In a frothing pitcher, combine the cold foam ingredients and froth until creamy. Pour it over the top.
  4. Dust with chai spice or turbinado cinnamon sugar, if you like.

Made this one? Crème Brûlée Flavored Coffee is available whole bean, ground, in pods, and decaf, so however you make your coffee, it works. Fresh roasted to order, every time.

Not sure yet? The 2oz sample is the right place to start: a few cups to know before you commit to a bag.

More recipes like this one are at The Menu.

 

Permission slip: yes, you may dunk an actual square of cornbread in this. We won't tell anyone.

Not Quite Right? Here's the Fix

Too sweet? Use 1 Tbsp of syrup instead of 2, or add a splash more coffee or milk.
Tastes flat? Add a pinch more salt to your next batch, or stir in another spoonful of syrup.
Bits in the cup? Strain the syrup a second time through a finer sieve.
Tastes bitter or burnt? The cornmeal toasted too long. Pull it off the heat as soon as it smells fragrant, before it darkens.
Thinner than you expected? That is normal. The syrup is meant to be about as thick as a thin caramel.

Make It Yours

  • The sweetness dial: 1 Tbsp is subtle, 2 Tbsp is the standard latte, 3 Tbsp is dessert.
  • Dairy-free: use your favorite dairy-free milk. The syrup contains butter and honey, so it is not dairy-free or vegan.
  • Skip the cold foam: the latte is just as good without it.
  • More ways to use the syrup: drizzle it over pancakes or waffles, or stir it into plain yogurt.
  • Prefer sweet corn? Try our sweet corn latte if the fresh-corn version is more your thing.
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