Mac and Cheese Bites

This recipe came from the Simple and Delicious cookbook by Taste of Home. An easy recipe; and not the most healthy. But it's a fun snack or lunch item. This recipe is made to be an appetizer, and baked in mini muffin pans. Personally, I didn't want to go out and buy a mini muffin pan, so I doubled the recipe and had enough to put in 18 full sized muffin cups. There were some adjustments I made, one just by circumstance and the others purposeful.

It had specific measurements for how much bread crumbs to sprinkle in the bottom of the muffin cups, but I just used my judgement. My first mistake was not having enough sharp cheddar cheese for the recipe. To compensate for this, I used more swiss cheese. It actually gave it a unique, almost sharper, flavor I liked rather than the common mac and cheese flavor people usually go towards. 

I had enough cheese for one and a half boxes of macaroni, but I did not realize this at the time. I cooked only one box, even though I had two, of the pasta; which wasn't enough in proportion to the cheese. In retrospect, I should've made the cheese mixture first and then the pasta so i could see how much pasta was needed. The lack of the extra box of pasta created a smoother texture and much more cheesy than I would've preferred. Live and learn I guess.

As for the time in the oven, I almost had to double the recipe's time to get that golden color and fully cooked cheese. Baking the bites longer makes sense because the recipe was meant for mini mac and cheese bites, but it took so long I was afraid I would burn the cheese. Luckily, it turned out fine.

All in all, it tasted great; I would've preferred more pasta though. My mother commented she would've preferred more cheddar over swiss because she's not as fond of stronger cheeses. So it all comes down to preference. If you're sharing this food with others, figure out if the majority prefer more cheddar or more swiss. The recipe called for more cheddar, but like I said, it can be done with more swiss. I actually preferred my mistake. Up to you. I'm no expert, just an ordinary cook.

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