Move over sweet thing – the versatile muffin tin has some new foods to bake. From Mac ‘n’ Cheese cups to eggs in bacon, these cute, bite-size snacks are the perfect ‘padkos’ for your next road trip or lunchbox.
MACARONI AND CHEESE CUPS
Makes 12
Ingredients
2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
1 tablespoon butter
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1 ½ cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
2 teaspoons olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
Directions
Preheat the oven to 180 °C and grease the muffin tin(s) with nonstick cooking spray or butter. In a small bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, olive oil and salt. Set aside.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the macaroni and cook for about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat, drain and return to the pan. Stir in the butter and egg until the pasta is evenly coated. Reserve ½ cup of the Cheddar cheese and stir the remaining Cheddar cheese, milk and mozzarella cheese into the pasta. Spoon into the muffin tin. Sprinkle the reserved cheese and the bread crumb mixture over the top of each muffin.
Bake for 30 minutes in the oven, or until the topping is nicely browned. Allow the muffins to cool a while before removing them from the pan.
BROCCOLI AND CHEDDAR FRITTATA
Makes 6
Ingredients
1½ cups cooked chopped broccoli florets
6 large eggs
½ cup milk
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¾ cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Directions
Preheat the oven to 180 °C and grease the muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray or butter.
Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil, then add the broccoli and cook for 1 minute. Drain and blot dry.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Stir in the cheese and broccoli.
Ladle the egg mixture evenly into the muffin cups. Leave at least a ½ cm space at the tops.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown.
Note
For different taste combinations, you can add chopped (grilled or sautéed) onion, green onions or chives. You can replace the broccoli with any veggies you think would go well with eggs. Chopped spinach, zucchini, peas, or tomato also make great kid-friendly alternatives.
PEPPERONI PIZZA PUFFS
Makes 24 (in mini muffin tins)
Ingredients
¾ cup flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
pinch of salt
pinch of red pepper flakes
¾ cup milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup cubed pepperoni
½ cup chopped tomato
Directions
Preheat the oven to 180 °C and grease the muffin tin(s) with nonstick cooking spray or butter.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and red pepper flakes.
Whisk in the milk and egg.
Stir in the mozzarella, Parmesan, tomato and pepperoni and let it stand for 10 minutes.
Stir the batter and divide it among the muffin cups.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until puffed and golden.
EGGS IN BACON
Ingredients
1 egg
1 strip of bacon, use regular because thin cut will fall apart
cooking spray
Directions
Preheat the oven to 180 °C and grease the muffin tin(s) with nonstick cooking spray or butter.
Cut your slice of bacon in half. Take the first half and lay the bacon across the middle. Take the second half and wrap it around the inside of the muffin tin. Cook for 6 minutes, until slightly crispy.
Crack your egg into the centre of your bacon. If the bacon has slid, just gently tap it back into place. Cook your egg for about 12 minutes, egg yolk just past runny. Gently use the edge of a knife and go around the edge of the muffin pan. The egg and bacon will neatly pop out. Season your egg as you normally would and enjoy!
Note:
You can add cheese, herbs or veggies and even a little piece of bread on the bottom. If you are battling to get your kids to eat their greens, you can put some salad in there too, because anything tastes better with bacon!
ZUCCHINI MUFFINS
Makes 12
Ingredients
2 ½ cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup quick cooking oats
4 eggs, beaten
1 medium zucchini (1¼ cup) shredded
¾ cup Vegetable oil
1 cup nuts (pecans or walnuts)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 180 °C and grease the muffin tin(s) with nonstick cooking spray or butter.
In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon together. Add the sugar and oats and mix in with a fork. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture. In a medium sized bowl, mix the eggs, zucchini and oil together. Add the wet mixture to the well of the flour mixture. Stir with a spoon until well mixed, but don’t over mix. Stir in the nuts. Spoon the batter into the muffin tin(s) and bake for 20 – 25 minutes.