Cornbread Muffins With Whipped Sweet Corn

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Generously coat nine wells of a standard muffin tin with coconut oil.

Put the dates in a small heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Let soak for about 5 minutes. Drain the dates, reserving the soaking liquid, and transfer them to a food processor. Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved soaking liquid and process, scraping down the sides and adding more of the reserved soaking liquid if necessary, until mostly creamy but with a few chunks remaining.

Place the prepared muffin tin in the oven to heat for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, sift together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk until blended.

Put the flaxseeds and 6 tablespoons water in a medium bowl and whisk until well blended. Whisk in the pureed dates and the coconut oil until smooth. Whisk in the oat milk until well combined. Add the oat milk mixture to the cornmeal mixture and stir until just combined.

When the muffin tin is hot, remove it from the oven and immediately scrape the batter into the prepared muffin cups, distributing it evenly among them (they should be a little over three-quarters full).

Bake until the muffins are golden brown, 16 to 18 minutes. Let cool in the tin for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool a bit more.

While the muffins are cooling, in a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté, stirring often, until soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the corn, sugar, and salt and cook, stirring often, until the corn is just tender, about 5 minutes.

Scrape the contents of the skillet into a food processor. Add the cashew cream and process until silky smooth, adding water as necessary to reach the desired consistency. Taste and season with lemon juice, salt, and white pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl. Serve the warm muffins slathered with whipped sweet corn and topped with pepper jelly.