Marvelous Muffin Tin Recipes

March 03, 2016
Credit: Photo: Teresa Sabga
Our collection of recipes goes beyond cupcakes and muffins to offer a new take on finger foods. 
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Egg and Toast Cups

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Egg and Toast Cups

Unleash your muffin tin's magic! This multipurpose pan takes the guesswork out of portion control by offering personal servings. You just might be able to entice your kids into eating a fulfilling breakfast with this cute all-in-one dish. You can cater to individual tastes too: Add chives to one up and spinach to another, or exchange the bacon for ham.

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Mini BBQ Meat Loaves

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Mini BBQ Meat Loaves

Make a small indentation with your thumb in the center of each meat loaf before baking. This keeps the proteins from shrinking too much, which could result in a dense, dry meat loaf.

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Soft-Yolk Muffins with Sausage and Cheese

Credit: Photo: Greg Dupree
View Recipe: Soft-Yolk Muffins with Sausage and Cheese

Dazzle family and friends with these meaty muffins that break open to reveal medium-boiled eggs with creamy yolks in the middle. You need two sizes of egg here—the mediums fit in the muffin tins, while the larges go in the batter.

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Tortilla Bowls

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Tortilla Bowls

Turn whole-wheat tortillas into taco bowls with the help of a muffin pan. Fill with your favorite taco salad ingredients, and marvel at your ingenuity. Be sure to soften the tortillas first (we do this with a spritz of water and quick warming turn on the stovetop) so they won’t crack.

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Egg Baskets

Credit: Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Egg Baskets

Our individual baked eggs nestled in crispy hash brown cups are pickup food at its best. It’s a great way to serve a crowd; just cook up what you need in muffin pans. Good news: We got the best results with refrigerated shredded hash browns, which were far preferable to shredded fresh potatoes and save time and effort.

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Corn Muffins with Prosciutto, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Goat Cheese

Credit: Photo: Greg Dupree
View Recipe: Corn Muffins with Prosciutto, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Goat Cheese

Salty, umami-packed prosciutto and creamy, tangy goat cheese lend loads of flavor to the tender corn muffin base. You can use domestic ham instead of prosciutto, if you prefer. We find oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes to be softer then those without oil, so they're better in this dish.

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Salted Caramel Cheesecakes

Credit: Photo: Romulo Yanes
View Recipe: Salted Caramel Cheesecakes

Baking individual desserts in a muffin pan is the smart way to pre-portion a rich treat. These single-serving cheesecakes don't feel skimpy, except with their numbers: Each has about half the calories and one-fourth the sat fat of a typical serving of caramel cheesecake, but is still full of big sweet-salty pleasures.

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Muffin-Tin Pumpkin-and-Pear Stratas

Credit: Photo: Greg Dupree
View Recipe: Muffin-Tin Pumpkin-and-Pear Stratas

Here's a nifty way to make individual casserole portions. Nectar-sweet pears, earthy pumpkin, and tart cranberries are a wonderfully balanced combination of fall flavors. Bosc or Anjou pears will also work here, as long as they're ripe. Your bare hands do the best job of mixing the bread into the egg.

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Mac and Cheese Bites

Credit: Photo: Teresa Sabga
View Recipe: Mac and Cheese Bites

Feed a hungry crowd these all-star, feel-good favorites at your next party. Nothing is as comforting as melty, creamy, cheesy, comforting macaroni and cheese. Be still our hearts.

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Garlic Pull-Apart Rolls

Credit: Photo: Teresa Sabga
View Recipe: Garlic Pull-Apart Rolls
Finger food doesn’t get much better than this. Individual rolls mean maximum surface area for crispy golden edges, and lots of nooks for the garlic and Parmesan to hide.

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Granola Cups with Yogurt and Berries

Credit: Photo: Greg Dupree
View Recipe: Granola Cups with Yogurt and Berries

Make for breakfast or as a cute part of a brunch spread. Fill whole-grain granola cups with creamy yogurt and fresh fruit—a fun alternative to sugary premade parfaits. Find almond butter in the supermarket’s peanut butter section. We love the fresh floral whiff the lemon rind adds to the mix but orange rind would work nicely as well.

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King Cake Cupcakes

Credit: Photo: Teresa Sabga
View Recipe: King Cake Cupcakes

King Cakes can be a portion-control nightmare. The cinnamon croissant-esque cake is topped with gobs of sticky-sweet glaze and buckets of colored sugar sprinkles. With our recipe makeover, you still have the experience of waiting for a yeast dough to rise and rolling it out. But instead of one big ring, we’re turning the dough into individual cinnamon buns. We keep the sugar numbers low by containing the sugar to a cinnamon-sugar sprinkle in the swirl and a tiny swirl of glaze on top. You’ll get all the flavors of your favorite Mardi Gras King Cake, but you won’t walk away feeling like you definitely understand why they call it Fat Tuesday.

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Broccoli-and-Bacon Muffin-Tin Frittatas

Credit: Photo: Greg Dupree
View Recipe: Broccoli-and-Bacon Muffin-Tin Frittatas

This easy make-ahead breakfast will have you set for a week. These little Italian omelet cups are a hot, savory breakfast on the fly. Make them up to four days ahead; simply reheat in the microwave for about a minute. You get two mini frittatas per serving for only 168 calories; pair with a piece of fruit for a satisfying breakfast. Store cooked frittatas in the fridge for up to four days.

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Ahi Sushi Cups

Credit: Photo: Teresa Sabga
View Recipe: Ahi Sushi Cups

Skip the mat-and-roll routine and keep sushi night simple with these easy-to-make and impressive-to-serve cups. For a wow-worthy party app, try this recipe in mini muffin cups to create perfectly poppable bites.

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Mini Crab Cakes With Pickled Celery

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Mini Crab Cakes With Pickled Celery

Save 104 calories, 12.6g fat, and 156mg sodium over traditional mini crab cakes. You can bake these cakes up to 2 hours ahead of party time and rewarm in a 300° oven for 5 to 6 minutes.

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Ramen Cups with Cabbage and Pork Slaw

Credit: Photo: Teresa Sabga
View Recipe: Ramen Cups with Cabbage and Pork Slaw

Sesame seeds add a nutty little crunch to this tasty appetizer. Toast them easily in just 2 or 3 minutes on the stovetop: Place seeds in a dry pan over medium heat and shake frequently until they are golden.

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Spiced Apple Two-Bite Tarts

Credit: Photo: Andrew Purcell
View Recipe: Spiced Apple Two-Bite Tarts

The nutty pastry is absolutely delicious, like pecan shortbread. You can make the tart shells and filling the day before and assemble just before serving: Place the shells in an airtight container and chill the filling, bringing it to room temperature before placing it in the shells so it's not ice-cold. The crème fraîche dollop is more than just a pretty garnish; its rich, tangy flavor makes these sublime.

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Cheesy Cauliflower Biscuits

Credit: Photo: Rebecca Longshore
View Recipe: Cheesy Cauliflower Biscuits

Perfectly-portioned, and entirely gluten-free, these cheesy bites have less than 25 calories per biscuit. They might be small, but they bring a burst of garlicky-cheddar flavor every time you pop them in your mouth. You can serve them as your “bread basket” before dinner or on a platter for a fun appetizer.

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Granola Cups with Yogurt and Berries

Credit: Photo: Teresa Sabga
View Recipe: Granola Cups with Yogurt and Berries

Try these for your morning meal, or as a cute addition to your next brunch. We fill simple whole-grain granola cups with protein-packed yogurt, then top with fresh fruit—a fun and tasty solution to sugar-loaded granola bars.

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Ice Cream Sundae Cups

Credit: Photo: Teresa Sabga
View Recipe: Ice Cream Sundae Cups
One-up an ice cream cone by turning the cone itself into a crunchy, white chocolate-coated cup to hold ice cream, chocolate sauce, and—of course—a cherry on top.

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Corn Bread Stuffing Muffins

Credit: Photo: Johnny Miller
View Recipe: Corn Bread Stuffing Muffins

Why serve stuffing only on Thanksgiving when you can have it all year? Keep time down and calories in check by making this savory dish in a perfectly-portioned muffin tin.

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Banana Pudding Cups

Credit: Photo: Teresa Sabga
View Recipe: Banana Pudding Cups
Everything you love about banana pudding comes together here in a handheld cup—rich vanilla pudding, fresh fruit, and vanilla wafers (done here as a crumb crust). You can use foil liners if you’d like a scalloped edge, or just press right into the pan for straight sides.

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Chicken Casserole Cups

Credit: Photo: Teresa Sabga
View Recipe: Chicken Casserole Cups

How can you possibly improve on creamy, comforting chicken casserole? Turn it into handheld cups for easy eating on the go!

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