Recipe: Crunchy Mac & Cheese Mini Muffins

A couple of months ago, I was at a friend’s house for a party. A neighbor brought Mac & Cheese muffins, which was basically your regular homemade Mac & Cheese but rather than making it in a baking dish – they were made in a muffin tin. Everyone loved it! Everyone loves Mac & Cheese of course and by making them in the muffin tin they were finger food friendly.

This past weekend I was off to a party and decided to try and make them again with a pretzel crust in honor of National Pretzel Day later this week (April 26th) and a shipment of pretzels I had received from Snyders. They were awesome! I actually made them in the mini-muffin tin to make them even easier to pick up and everyone adored them. Here’s the recipe:

Crunchy Mac & Cheese Mini Muffins
*2 cups cooked elbow macaroni
*2 tablespoons butter
* 2 tablespoons flour
* 1 1/2 cups of shredded chedder cheese
* 1 1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
* 2 cups of milk
* 1 cup chopped pretzel rods
* pinch nutmeg
* pinch cayenne pepper
* pinch ground black pepper

1. Cook the macaroni until done, drain and set side.
2. In a saucepan on the stove, melt the butter and add the flour over medium heat.
3. Add the milk and stir until thickened.
4. Add the cheese slowly and stir until it’s all melted.
5. Add the pinch of nutmeg, cayenne pepper and ground black pepper to taste.
6. Pour the sauce mixture over the macaroni.
7. Spoon small bits of the macaroni mixture into mini muffin tin.
8. Top with the crushed pretzels.
9. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
10. Let the muffins cool for a bit on your counter before you attempt to take them out or they won’t retain shape. But if you wait another 15-20 they will retain their shape and are good to go!