Skillet Cornbread with Whiskey Honey Butter

To get the crispy edges on this delicious cornbread, you'll preheat a cast iron skillet in the oven and pour the batter into the hot pan. While it's baking you can whip up a batch of the whiskey honey butter. The key is to make sure your butter is fully softened so the honey and whiskey will incorporate fully. Once it's done, keep at room temperature so that it's easily spreadable. Once you try this butter, you'll be finding all kinds of excuses to use it!

Whiskey Honey Butter:

1 cup (two sticks) salted European-style butter, room temperature
1/3 cup honey
4 tsp Nelson's Green Brier Tennessee Whiskey
Pinch flaked salt (optional)

Combine softened butter, honey and whiskey in a bowl and mix with an electric mixer until smooth. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with a little salt (optional).

Skillet Cornbread:

2/3 cup butter, softened
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup white cornmeal
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Place a 12" cast iron skillet in the oven and preheat to 400ºF.

To make the batter, first cream 2/3 cup butter and brown sugar together in a large bowl. Stir in the eggs and milk until combined. Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and set aside. Once the oven has fully heated, stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined.

Remove the skillet from the oven and add the vegetable oil to the pan. Swirl it around to make sure it's fully melted and coating the bottom and sides of the skillet. Pour the batter into the hot skillet and return it to the oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cut and serve warm with whiskey honey butter.