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Appetites and Adventures

Mini Mac ‘n Cheese Muffins

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You can never go wrong with Mac ‘n Cheese.

You CAN go wrong opening the noodle box

Wedding showers mean bite-sized treats… but we needed mac ‘n cheese to go with the Southern themed-food of the shower I catered last weekend!

What to do?  Mini-mac muffins!

Using smoked Gouda here rather than the more traditional mozzarella was a big win.

The deeper, smokey flavor went well with the herbed bread crumb topping without being over-powering.  Extra-sharp cheddar is also key for a more flavorful mac.

I doubled the recipe and made what felt like a million of these.  I wish I’d counted… but I think there were 144.  Plus the leftovers, which I turned into a casserole for the family. 🙂

After looking at the quantity, I thought “There is NO way people will eat all of these.”  Wrong.

While these weren’t the first item to go (these deviled eggs flew the coop!), there weren’t any left at the end of the night.

Mini Mac ‘n Cheese Muffins

  • 1 lb box elbow macaroni
  • 2 C extra sharp cheddar, shredded
  • 2 C smoked gouda, shredded
  • 2 T Butter, melted
  • 1 C 2% milk
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1/2 tsp dry mustard
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • S & P, to taste
  • 1/2 C seasoned dry bread crumbs
  • 1.5 tsp olive oil

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and grease mini muffin tins.

In a large pot, cook macaroni according to package instructions, leaving it slightly al dente.  Remove from the heat, drain and return to the pan.  

Return pasta to pot and stir in melted butter until coated.  Stir in 1 1/2 C of each cheese and stir until melted.

Mix together milk, eggs, mustard, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.  Pour mixture over macaroni and mix well.

Spoon macaroni into each tin, slightly over-filling.  

In a small bowl, mix together bread crumbs and olive oil.  Sprinkle reserved cheese and bread crumb mixture over the tops.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, or until tops are golden brown.  Allow the muffins to cool for a few minutes before removing from the pan so that the cheese sets and they hold their shape.

Makes ~72 mini muffins.

Note: If you have any mix leftover, pour it in a casserole dish for a traditional mac n’ cheese.  I added some cayenne and truffle oil to my leftovers.

***

I tried the Kraft mac ‘n cheese at a friend’s house as a kid and thought I didn’t like mac… until years later someone made me the “real” thing (read: homemade).  Life-changing, my friends. 

Did you ever eat the Kraft mac growing up?

What are you favorite mac ‘n cheese add-ins?

Comments

  2. Yes… we ate the Kraft Mac & Cheese growing up. With hotdogs, always. And I ate A LOT of it in college.
    I love your muffin idea! I don’t think I’ve ever made real Mac & Cheese (and haven’t made even the boxed stuff in about 10 years)- but I should definitely give it a shot! And using smoked Gouda and Cheddar sounds perfect! Smoked cheese has SO much more flavor!

    Favorite add-in? BACON. (duh)\
    And truffle oil!

  3. I ate Kraft growing up… and sometimes my mom would put it in a baking dish and top it with shredded cheese and bread crumbs. HA!

    I can’t wait for a special occasion to pop up just so I can make these!

  4. I definitely ate Kraft Mac & Cheese growing up. Always with a glass of milk. To tell you the truth, I still really like the White Cheddar kind.

  9. You know it’s a good party when all the food is gone at the end of the night! 🙂 I like adding chipotles (surprised?), salsa or fieldroast sausages to my mac & cheeze! I could also see adding some nice green kale – although I haven’t tried that yet!

  10. Mac n’ cheese will forever be one of my favorite meals! And these will be made as soon as possible because they sound heavenly. I just have to make sure there’s someone around to keep me in check or else I’ll eat them all!!

  11. SUCH a good idea. I love homemade mac and Annie’s mac & cheese, but lately, I’ve had a little craving for Velveeta mac!

    • Thank you! I’ve never had the Annie’s version… but those fun shaped noodles tempt me every time I see it in Whole Foods.

  13. I have NEVER eaten mac n cheese! I know I know, what is WRONG with me!! Lol! These sound great though, the ingredient list looks exactly like what I’m craving right now!

  16. Um, could you please post the nutrition info on this dish? Lol. My homemade Mac is 4 cups cheese to two lbs pasta.

    • I don’t even want to know the nutritionals! 🙂

      I doubled the recipe, so yeah… mine was 2 lbs and 4 C of cheese too. So bad… but soooo good!

  19. I liked craft as a kid. But my bf’s mom makes a killer homemade one.
    I like adding tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and fresh basil. Spicy would be good too – I like the chiptole and kale from an earlier comment sounds amazing. I want mac and cheese now!

  21. Now that my kids are grown up I add green chile peppers to my home made Mac’n’Cheese–sometimes throwing some salsa on top, too–mexican yummy!

  22. I’m sure everyone loved your mini mac superb treats. If I was a guest I would have been following the tray around the room. Great original idea! xx

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