Southern Corn Sticks

Square close up shot of a platter of corn sticks.

5 from 3 votes

Just like Grandma's kitchen, these old-fashioned corn sticks are classic Southern comfort food! Baked in a cast iron pan, they're perfectly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

Course bread, Side Dish

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword corn stick recipe, corn sticks, cornbread sticks, how to make corn sticks, stick of corn

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 12

Total Time 22

Servings large corn sticks (in a 6-cavity pan)

Calories 126kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Equipment

2 cast iron corn stick pans (6-cavity or 7-cavity)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons shortening or vegetable oil, for greasing the pans
1 cup cornmeal (yellow or white, finely or medium ground)
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar (increase to ¼ cup for sweeter corn sticks)
¾ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg, beaten
3 tablespoons vegetable oil or melted shortening

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450°F. Grease two 6 or 7-cavity corn stick pans with about 1 tablespoon of shortening or oil per pan, coating every curve of each cavity. Place the greased pans in the hot oven to preheat for about 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add buttermilk, egg, and vegetable oil (or melted shortening). Stir just until the batter comes together. Do not overmix.
Carefully remove the hot corn stick pans from the oven. Fill each cavity with batter, almost to the top (leave about ⅛ inch).
Bake until light golden brown on top, about 14-16 minutes for larger corn sticks (in 6-cavity pans) or 12-14 minutes for smaller corn sticks (in 7-cavity pans). The bottoms will be darker and crispier.
Remove corn sticks from pans immediately and serve warm.
If you have extra batter, re-grease one of the hot pans and bake another batch.

Video

Notes

Greasing is key: Use about 1 tablespoon of oil or shortening per pan. It should look like too much, but this prevents sticking and creates crispy edges.
Don't overmix: Stir just until combined. A few small lumps are fine. Overmixing leads to dense, dry corn sticks.
Batter fill level: Fill cavities almost to the top, leaving about 1/8 inch. The batter will puff up but shouldn't overflow.
Cornmeal grind: Use finely or medium ground cornmeal. Coarse cornmeal will give a grainier texture.
Buttermilk substitute: Regular milk or cream will work, though buttermilk gives the best texture and flavor.
Sweeter version: Increase sugar to ¼ cup for sweeter corn sticks.
Storage: Store tightly wrapped at room temperature for 1-2 days, or refrigerate for 3-4 days.
Freezing: Wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw before reheating.
Reheating: Wrap in foil and warm in a 350°F oven for 5 minutes, or microwave for 20-30 seconds.No corn stick pan? Use this batter for corn muffins or cast iron cornbread instead.
Yield: About 11-12 large corn sticks (when baked in 6-cavity corn stick pans) or about 18 smaller corn sticks (when baked in 7-cavity pans). The nutritional information provided is an estimate assuming a total of 11 corn sticks.

Nutrition