Pecan Apple Cornbread Stuffing made with toasted cornbread , crisp apples, pecans and cranberries, is a delicious sweet and savory dressing that’ll be a hit on your holiday table.
Cornbread stuffing, like this Pecan Apple Cornbread Stuffing, is a must have at our house for the holidays – there must be stuffing…it’s a rule! Stuffing takes it’s place as a favorite, second only to the ham and turkey and maybe the pumpkin pie:)
We tend to make nostalgic food during the holidays, but there should always be room to add something new or a favorite recipe re-imagined. Jump start making new memories our your holiday table with this easy dressing recipe.
?What’s the Difference Between Stuffing and Dressing?
Basically the terms stuffing and dressing are used interchangeably, depending on where you live or grew up. Technically, stuffing is a mixture of ingredients used to “stuff” another food, like a turkey or chicken before it’s cooked, while dressing is a dish baked on the side.
Growing up, my Dad who always called West Virginia home, called it dressing, but every year he would use his homemade cornbread dressing to stuff our holiday turkey. I know…confusing right. When I moved to the South, my friends called it stuffing, but baked it in the oven in a separate pan.
We prefer our stuffing baked in a separate pan in the oven, so I guess it’s really dressing? And the debate rages on.
Cornbread is the base for this stuffing, so if you’re making your own cornbread cubes, you’ll want to make the very best tasting cornbread EVER. Here are my favorite tips whether you’re making cornbread from scratch, like our easy skillet cornbread or using a mix.
?Pro tips for making the best cornbread
- Only mix the ingredients until blended. For the fluffiest cornbread, you don’t want to over work the gluten in the flour.
- Mix up the batter by hand, rather than an electric mixer. This way you can leave a few lumps in the batter that will moisten during baking and give the desired appearance to your cornbread
- For fluffy cornbread, let the batter rest for 10 – 15 minutes after mixing. This will allow air pockets to form.
- Put the un-greased skillet in the oven to preheat while you’re mixing the batter. This will give it nice crispy edges when done.
Ingredients for Making Pecan Apple Cornbread Stuffing
- Cornbread Cubes – either homemade (best) or store bought.
- Butter – unsalted butter is what we always use for our recipes – we like to control the amount of salt used.
- Onion – yellow or white onions.
- Celery
- Apples – choose a red variety that won’t turn mushy when cooked, like Honeycrisp, Fuji or Pink Lady.
- Garlic
- Dried Thyme – adds earthy flavor and balances the sweetness of the cornbread.
- Ground Sage – intense Fall flavor and mixes nicely with the other ingredients.
- Chicken Broth
- Dried Cranberries – we chose sweetened dried cranberries for this recipe.
- Pecans – rough chopped for more texture.
Is Jiffy Mix Good for Making Cornbread Stuffing?
Yes, it absolutely is! . Just make the cornbread according to the directions, allow to cool and cut into cubes. Let it dry out on the counter overnight. If making Jiffy Mix Cornbread right before you make the stuffing, you’ll need extra time to dry out and toast the cornbread in the oven.
Pecan Apple Cornbread Stuffing
Ingredients
- 8 cups cubed cornbread toasted or store bought cornbread cubes
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1-1/2 cups diced onion yellow or white
- 1-1/2 cups celery thinly sliced
- 2 cups diced apples cored
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tsp ground sage
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
- On ungreased baking sheet, place cornbread cubes in single layer in 300°F oven for 15 – 20 minutes until toasted. Transfer to large mixing bowl.
- Increase oven heat to 350°F. Lightly grease 9 x 13 baking dish.
- Heat butter in skillet over medium heat until melted. Add onions and celery, saute over medium-high heat until onions are translucent, about 3 – 4 minutes. Stir in apples and garlic and cook another 1 minute. Add thyme and sage and cook for one more minute., stirring to combine. Scrape mixture over the cornbread.
- Add broth, cranberries, pecans, salt, pepper and to the cornbread. Stir with wooden spoon to combine. Mixture will be slightly wet and crumbly. If too dry – add more vegetable broth 1/4 cup at a time until mixture is wet, but will still hold together.
- Transfer stuffing to the prepared baking dish. Cover dish with foil and bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 20 to 30 minutes until top is starting to crisp and is golden brown.
Equipment Used
Nutrition Facts
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This recipe is a keeper! I made it for Thanksgiving yesterday and it’s so delicious, I plan to make it again for many Thanksgivings to come!
Delicious – raves from the family. I only had 30 min for baking so I spread out everything in a single layer on a cookie sheet at 375 degrees, finishing with broiler on low for 5 minutes. Texture was perfect – crisp edges and moist underneath.