Baked Mini Mac and Cheese Bites

Ingredients

• Nonstick cooking spray, for greasing baking pans

• 8 ounces dried elbow macaroni

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• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 1 ½ cups milk (whole or 2% works best for a creamy texture)

• 2 cups shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, portioned separately

• 2 ounces cream cheese (room temperature preferred)

• ½ teaspoon fine salt

• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

Preparation Instructions

1. Prep your ingredients and oven first: gather and measure all components listed above, then preheat your oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Coat every cup of 2 mini muffin pans thoroughly with nonstick cooking spray to prevent sticking.

2. Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring it to a rolling boil over high heat. Add the elbow macaroni and cook, stirring occasionally to stop it from clumping, until it reaches an al dente texture (tender but still firm to the bite), about 8 minutes total. Drain all excess water from the cooked pasta and set it aside.

3. In the same large pot (or a separate soup pot) over medium heat, melt the butter completely. Whisk the flour into the melted butter until you get a smooth, bubbly roux. Pour in the milk while whisking continuously, then bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Add 1 ½ cups of the Cheddar cheese, all the cream cheese, salt, and pepper, stirring constantly until all cheese melts and the sauce turns completely smooth. Turn off the heat once finished.

4. Add the drained macaroni and beaten egg to the cheese sauce, stirring until everything is fully combined and every noodle is coated in creamy cheese.

5. Use a small spoon to portion the mac and cheese mixture evenly into the prepared mini muffin cups, filling each cup almost to the top. Sprinkle the remaining Cheddar cheese over the top of each individual bite.

6. Bake the bites in the preheated oven for roughly 16 minutes, until the edges and tops turn golden brown and crispy. Remove the pans from the oven and let the bites rest for 5 minutes to set before serving and removing from the tins.