Reviewed: Nov. 9, 2009

As preparation for my 2-year-old's birthday party, we tried multiple versions of mac and cheese -- THIS RECIPE IS THE BEST HANDS DOWN. Other reviews mention that it is a bit bland, and so I added a little garlic powder and Ms. Dash. Also, I use RITZ crackers for the topping. The second time I made them, I completely forgot to add anything extra, and we hardly noticed the difference. They were a HUGE hit with both kids (ages 2-10) and adults at the birthday party!! We served all finger foods, so the mac-muffins were the way to go in that respect as well. I made them in mini-muffin tins, so they were a 3-bite type of appetizer.

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paigems

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Reviewed: Nov. 1, 2009

These came out even better than I was expecting, however I took the advice of other reviewers and tweaked the seasonings a bit to avoid a bland result. I added about 1/4 cup of sauteed finely chopped onion, a dash of garlic powder, pepper and about 1/4 cup grated parmesan in addition to the cheese in the recipe, and along with the recommended cheeses, I also used up a little shredded Mexican blend that I had on hand. I was worried about the mac n cheese setting correctly, so I added about a tbsp of flour - no idea if it really had an effect, but the end result (after cooling) was perfectly set but still moist. And more importantly, delicious!

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Christine M

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Hopedale, Massachusetts, USA

Living In: Holden, Massachusetts, USA

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Reviewed: Oct. 21, 2009

I liked the idea of the muffin shape for mac and cheese. However, this really needs a cheese sauce, held together with a little flour. Made the way it calls for, the cheese clumped and the milk pooled in the bottom. Although they did stick together after cooling, the top half had no sauce on the noodles. I added garlic like another reviewer recommended, and it was a nice addition.

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cooks4forty

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Stoughton, Wisconsin, USA

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Reviewed: Oct. 9, 2009

We didn't love these. The muffin idea is a great one and I may use that again, but I really didn't care for the actual mac and cheese part- in the future, I will use my stand-by recipe and use the muffin cup idea. Thanks for sharing!

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HuskerGirl

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Omaha, Nebraska, USA

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Reviewed: Aug. 13, 2009

This was an awesome recipe; we did a few modification though: we added garlic power, onion powder, and pepper into the bread crumbs, then we also added two tablespoons of cottage cheese into the mix. made it taste excellent. and just as a side note: I enjoy sugar in my mac and cheese! it's really good, try it sometime!

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ZaQ

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Reviewed: Jun. 28, 2009

I give these four stars, because I made a few changes. I added cheddar, mozzarella, smoked gouda, shredded parm, and a little bit of ricotta I needed to use up. Seasoned to taste with onion powder, garlic, S & P. Held there shape well. Will make again. Thanks for sharing!

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tiffscookin

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Jun. 24, 2009

The kids (and husband) LOVED thes! Although, I thought they were kinda bland even after I added garlic and onion powder. I will try this recipe again though. But definately make them the night before.

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Shelly

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Reviewed: Apr. 27, 2009

This is good and is a great idea. I will doctor it up a little next time because it was a little too bland for me--I like my spices! I usually use a little mustard, a pinch of thyme, a tad of sour cream and black pepper and an additional egg and more cheese.

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Cynthia

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Mobile, Alabama, USA

Living In: Shanghai, Shanghai (Municipality) , China

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Reviewed: Mar. 10, 2009

Awesome! Although I did tweak the recipe a lot. For starters, I made my own breadcrumbs by tearing up a piece of bread, tossing it with salt and spices and drying it in the oven on 350 for about 5 minutes. I also used half the butter and added a tablespoon of chive and onion cream cheese to the noodle mixture and a tad less milk. I added more salt and pepper and spices (parsley, chili powder, garlic, oregano) to the noodles. I did not have cheddar so I used whatever cheese I did have. Colby, pepper jack, seasoned feta and horseradish cheddar slices that I tore up. I used a tad more than recommended. SO delicious. I think next time I might add some corn or pimentos or broccoli to the mix!

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Reviewer:

quickly

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Reviewed: Jan. 27, 2009

I didnt care for these too much. Im not saying they were terrible, I just thought they were a little bland. They tasted like noodles with bread crumbs.

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Lindsey

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Streamwood, Illinois, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 18, 2008

this was pretty good. I did add a little garlic to add some flavor. I ran out of room in my muffin pan so I used my mini muffin pan. Great idea! The kids loved them! When they were a little cooler they could use there fingers to eat it. they loved it!

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BRODBECK314

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Reviewed: Nov. 16, 2008

These individual mac and cheese "muffins" were outstanding. I served them at a cocktail party and they were the first food item to disappear. I doubled the recipe and added garlic powder, onion powder and some cayenne, since it wasn't for kids. I would suggest coating the muffin tins heavily with cooking spray and allowing them to cool completely before you attempt to take them out. I just reheated them in a chafing dish and they were absolutely delicious. I wish I would have had leftovers. This recipe is a keeper.

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Kaye Beebe

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Reviewed: Oct. 29, 2008

My pickey kids did not like the way these looked! I thought they would be a hit, but sadly no!

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MaryAnne aka Anne's daughter

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Queens, New York, USA

Living In: Clinton, Connecticut, USA

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Reviewed: Sep. 28, 2008

For concept alone, these babies get 5 stars, LOL!! Mac n cheese in a muffin, doesn't get much better than that! My 6 yr old and 1 yr old especially loved these (me too!), my middle guy is a bit pickier! I did switch up the cheese based on what I had, used some light cheese whiz to make them creamy in with shredded mozz. I too added some granulated garlic, pepper and mustard powder to the mixture and used panko crumbs (added some garlic and oregano too). Fantastic, I got 18 muffins out of the recipe and these will become a regular in our house, thanks for sharing!

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ANJACKSON

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Pickering, Ontario, Canada

Living In: Oshawa, Ontario, Canada

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Reviewed: Sep. 15, 2008

5 for creativity, but only a 2 for flavor. This is a terrific idea. The individual portions are great for school lunches. Unfortunaely, the flavor was bland. I think I'll adapt my regualr recipe to this method. Thank you for the inspiration.

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Heather R.

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Spring Lake, Michigan, USA

Living In: Jacksonville, Florida, USA

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Reviewed: Sep. 7, 2008

These were a little bland, even after I added hot sauce to the macaroni and seasoned salt to the bread crumbs. My kitten, however, seemed to love them. I found him on the counter digging in!

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SizzleCakes

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: West Monroe, Louisiana, USA

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Reviewed: Sep. 4, 2008

I wanted to make something special for my son's first day of Kindergarden. This fit the bill perfectly. I used 8 oz. extra sharp white cheddar, 4 oz. sharp cheddar and 4 oz. grated parmesan cheese. I sauteed a little garlic in with the butter, then added the milk and eggs. For me, this made 16 large mac and cheese muffins. More than enough for a couple lunches or dinner warmups. My son was impressed with handheld macaroni and cheese. I'll make this again for another special occasion. EDITED TO ADD: My family at all 16 mac and cheese muffins. This was a huge hit. Think about making it my way. You'll thank me.

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tat2whttrsh aka Lambchop's Mom

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Seattle, Washington, USA

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Reviewed: Aug. 11, 2008

For the most part I enjoyed these, but there were less of a hit with the kiddos than I thought - a few of the pasta corners got crunchy which they did not like. I think that next time I will cover with foil until the last few minutes and see if they are more gooier.

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A.Z.

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Annapolis, Maryland, USA

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Reviewed: Apr. 14, 2008

This turned out great - but as others suggested I added a little seasoning before baking. Some Mrs Dash and garlic powder. I skipped the breadcrumbs nd just added cheddar chesse at the very end on top!

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Heather

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Maple Shade, New Jersey, USA

Living In: Cherry Hill, New Jersey, USA

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Reviewed: Mar. 30, 2008

This is a great idea. The recipe needs a little something though. I made as is the first time and it tasted good. They reheated very nicely. The second time around I added more cheese and pepper and left off the topping and they were more to our liking. I will be making these often for lunches and quick snacks.

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