Mac & cheese bites

11 years ago

Hi folks, I have a question about making mac & cheese bites - I only have 2 mini muffin pans (and 2 reg. size). Last time, I just used them all, but greatly prefer the mini ones for this purpose. If I wanted to make a whole batch bite size at one time, do you think I could place mini muffin liners right next to each other in a baking pan so I could heat them all in one shot and have them generally retain their shape? Last time I brushed the pans with butter and put a little parm cheese on the bottom. They came out of the pans well enough. How would it work with mini paper liners?
This is for a multi family Bunco party, and we want all finger foods. Thank you!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (8)

grainlady_ks
11 years ago
After I purchased my first 12-cup mini muffin pan, many years ago, I realized how inadequate that was so I purchased two pans that hold 24, and that may be your ultimate answer if you need to make this recipe very often.

I tend to avoid baking paper liners because stuff sticks to them, and would use foil mini muffin liners - if you can find them. For Mac & Cheese Bites, other than buying more mini muffin pans, it may be your best answer. I think I would place them on a low-rim (1") baking sheet rather than a 2" cake pan. Let us know how it went....

-Grainlady
elba1
Original Author
11 years ago
Thank you! The event is tomorrow night. I may just try to get more mini muffin tins. Although I don't use them very often, 2 twelve cup is never enough. Of course, maybe that's why I don't use them very often!
Related Discussions
What to make with Mac & Cheese?
Q
Comments (29)
I'm glad you liked it, Alexa. A few years ago, I put about 200 of our family favorite recipes onto a CD for our girls. Every one had the story of the recipe that often prompted memories of more than just that one dish. Here's the rambling one for the tomato pudding: THE STORY: Sometimes we forget that in previous generations, not many fresh vegetables were available in the winter. Since she was a little girl, one of NanaÂs favorite foods was tomatoes. Her birthday was in winter so your great-grandmother would always keep a jar or two of home canned tomatoes set aside for her birthday. SheÂd make what they called tomato pudding for dinner that night. She used her own stale bread crumbs instead of the Pepperidge Farm but that most closely resembles the flavor my mom remembered. That's why we still have this dish at Thanksgiving Dinner - to remember to be thankful for canned tomatoes. LOL Every summer, Aunt Bertie would host two or three canning weeks. We'd stay there, along with Nana, Aunts Betty, Evelyn, Margie and their kids. We'd have assembly lines to can and freeze all sorts of fruits and vegetables but tomatoes, peaches, raspberries, corn and green beans were the ones I remember most vividly. With the tomatoes, we'd can them plain, stewed, as ketchup, spaghetti sauce, straight tomato juice, and a variation of V-8 that my dad really liked. No salsa in those days. For years, Jodi and I were the tomato (and peach) peelers. Greg and Linda were the boilers and would dip the tomatoes in boiling water for just a few seconds and then put them into a cake pan to cool a bit before we slipped the skins off and passed them along. Along the same lines, people would add small chunks of bread to thicken and "stretch" stewed tomatoes, even in restaurants. I hadnÂt thought of that until now because you rarely see the bread added anymore and I haven't make them that way since the 1960's.
...See More
Homemade mac and cheese?
Q
Comments (31)
I make a combination of Alton Brown's & the Cook's Illustated versions. They're both made on top of the stove, no oven baking. Here's my combined recipe with notes about differing quantities. I use a lot less cheese because of my husband's low sodium diet. And I often use just one egg and a combination of sharp cheddar & Swiss (Swiss is naturally lower in sodium content). But, all in all, the recipe satisfies our mac & cheese hankerings and is quite easy. CookÃ¢ÂÂs Illustrated & Alton Brown Serves 4 as a main course or 6-8 as a side dish Toasted Bread Crumbs (Cook's Illustrated): 1cup fresh breadcrumbs from French or Italian bread Pinch table salt 1 ÃÂ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted Creamy Macaroni and Cheese: 2 large eggs 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk (AltonÃ¢ÂÂs recipe calls for only 6 oz. milk) ÃÂ¼ teaspoon hot pepper sauce 2 teaspoons table salt, divided use (I omit) ÃÂ¼ teaspoon ground black/white pepper 1 teaspoon dry mustard, dissolved in 1 teaspoon water (or prepared mustard) ÃÂ½ pound elbow macaroni 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 12 ounces (about 3 cups) sharp cheddar cheese, grated (AltonÃ¢ÂÂs recipe calls for 10 oz. of cheese; I use only 8 oz.) Instructions: Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add bread crumbs and salt and cook, stirring frequently, until deep golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl. Meanwhile, mix eggs, 1 cup of the evaporated milk, pepper sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, pepper, and mustard mixture in small bowl; set aside. Meanwhile, heat 2 quarts water to boil in large heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt and macaroni; cook until almost tender, but still a little firm to the bite (I cook the macaroni a bit more). Drain and return to pan over low heat. Add butter; toss to melt. Pour egg mixture over buttered noodles along with three-quarters of the cheese; stir until thoroughly combined and cheese starts to melt. Gradually add remaining milk (DonÃ¢ÂÂt let it get too soupy) and cheese, stirring constantly, until mixture is hot and creamy, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately topped with toasted bread crumbs.
...See More
Mini muffin tin appetizers
Q
Comments (18)
Annie, those tomato bacon cups look great. I might use pie crust (premade, even) in lieu of the buttermilk biscuits. I'm not a fan of canned biscuits. And I think when the biscuits rise, they will take up too much space in a mini muffin cup. Thinking "out loud" here, wonder if you could crush Ritz crackers or something similar, and pat them into the mini cups for a crust. I think if you did, the filling would have to be something with some inherent structure - something that sets up in the shape of the cup and stays that way. Something that doesn't depend on the crust to contain it. One thing I keep on hand for quick canapes is mini phyllo cups. They are in the frozen food case at my local grocery, but I noticed the last package I bought said, "may be stored frozen, refrigerated, or at room temperature." What else is there? Slip phyllo cup into each cup of your mini muffin tin. Fill with a small amount of cheese (I prefer brie or blue cheese). Run into a 350 degree oven until the cheese melts - about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and top with a dab of jam. I like strawberry or fig on the blue cheese. On the brie, I like fig or pepper jelly. Best when they are warm, but folks will continue to eat them when they have cooled to room temp. When I went looking for a link to the phyllo cups I use, I found they had a bunch of recipes online. You might be able to adapt some of these, if you didn't want to use phyllo cups. Link below. Let us know what you try and how it turns out! I might get more mileage out of my mini-muffin tins. Here is a link that might be useful: Phyllo cup recipes
...See More
Martha's Mac & Cheese vs Saveur's Artisanal Mac & Cheese
Q
Comments (0)
So, I'm a bit obsessive when it comes to finding the perfect recipe. I made a really good mac & cheese about 5 years ago but then when, a few years later, I tried to remember what it was, I could remember and so ended up concluding it was probably Martha's Mac & Cheese. But, today I happened upon Saveur's Artisanal Mac & Cheese and now I'm thinking it might have been that one. They both look really good and instead of me making both and deciding which is the better, anyone out there made both and have an opinion? AND, further, I've read lots of stuff that says that the key to great mac & cheese is dried mustard but neither of these have this. Cook's Illustrated uses that — anyone made all three? thanks!
...See More
lascatx
11 years ago
I bought 2 of the 24 cup minis and it makes using them a lot easier. If I am going to bake more than 48, it's a big enough project that I'm going to at it a while anyway. But it makes those quicker too.
elba1
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks. Interestingly, it had not even crossed my mind to buy more - I figured I already had two. I went to Home Goods today and bought 2-24 cup minis - I'm sure they will work out great! I also bought a larger springform pan, as my son will be combining two recipes to make a brownie bottom cheesecake, with a top layer of raspberry mousse, and our 8 inch pan is not large enough.
elba1
Original Author
11 years ago
Glad I went out and bought them! 45 out of 48 mac and cheese bites got eaten! It was so much easier to have the 2 larger pans. We also had spinach artichoke pizza, calamari bake dip and roasted eggplant/red pepper spread with crackers, mushroom rolls, 7 layer dip and tomato guacamole dip with tortilla chips, crab cakes (and raw veggies and grapes). My son made a brownie bottom cheesecake topped with raspberry mousse for dessert.
Thanks again!
mustangs81
11 years ago
I'm glad the two large worked out for you and your menu sounds great. Makes sense to have to large minis.

BTW-the eggplant/red pepper spread (Ajvar) is what I use for Roasted Red Pepper Bisque.
tami_ohio
11 years ago
Elba1, would you share your recipe for the mac and cheese bites, please. DH loves them, and I have no clue. We tried breading and deep frying them once, but what a job! It sounds like your way may be easier.
elba1
Original Author
11 years ago
Mustangs, I'll have to keep that in mind - I know my son would like it!
Tami, sure - you start with your basic mac & cheese recipe however you like to make it (I use the Best Recipe cookbook version) al dente.
Brush tins with melted butter.
Sprinkle a bit of parm cheese (I use Romano) in the bottom of the cups.
Fill the cups with mac & cheese, packing gently. You can refrigerate at this point until ready to bake.
Bake 10 minutes at 425 degrees. Let cool 5 min, then remove with a spoon.
They came right out, and it's really neat to have mac & cheese as a finger food!
The one family is vegetarian (technically pescatarian) and there are a couple nut allergies in the group, so the menu can get tricky, but everyone left full and happy :).

Mac & cheese bites

Comments (8)

grainlady_ks

elba1
Original Author

Related Discussions

lascatx

elba1
Original Author

elba1
Original Author

mustangs81

tami_ohio

elba1
Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Mac & cheese bites

Comments (8)

grainlady_ks

elba1Original Author

Related Discussions

lascatx

elba1Original Author

elba1Original Author

mustangs81

tami_ohio

elba1Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

elba1
Original Author

elba1
Original Author

elba1
Original Author

elba1
Original Author