The Muffin Tin Cookbook: 200 Fast, Delicious Mini-Pies, Pasta Cups, Gourmet Pockets, Veggie Cakes, and More!

Muffin tin cooking is fun, exciting, and creative! With your muffin tins you can create just about every type of dish imaginable (entrées, vegetables, potatoes, desserts, appetizers, and more). Muffin tin dishes are easy to serve, easy to pass, and easy to share at a party or at your family table, or to savor just by yourself. Children especially enjoy being served muffin tin food. Muffin tin foods are also easy to store. Just pop the individual cups into a storage container, or simply cover your muffin tin with plastic wrap or foil. Cleanup is easy, too. If you use paper or foil liners, you throw them out or recycle them.

tin

cookbook

200 Fast, Delicious Mini-Pies,Pasta Cups, Gourmet Pockets,Veggie Cakes, and More!

Brette Sember

with Melinda Boyd, MPH, MHR, RD

Introduction

Chapter 1 Appetizers and Snacks

Shrimp Cakes with Cilantro Lime DippingSauce

Smoked Salmon Cups

Hot Pretzel Bites

Potato Bites

Spiced Pecan Cups

Smoky Popcorn Cheese SnacksMushroom Stuffed Brie en CrouteShrimp Toasts

Spinach Artichoke Dip CupsSausage in Kluski Noodle CupsHot Nuts

Crab Dip Cups

Cheese Coins

Chapter 2 Breakfast

Egg Crescent Pockets

French Bread French Toast

Bagel Sausage Sandwiches

Grits Casserole

Cheese Danish Cups

Ham and Egg Cups

Coffee Cakes

Denver Omelets

English Muffin CasseroleGranola Bars

Apple-Granola Yogurt CupsCorned Beef Hash CupsBreakfast Sausage

Hardboiled Eggs

Gram’s Mission Coffee CakeEggs and Lox

Baby Dutch Babies

Hash Brown Cups

Sloppy Joe Cupcakes

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Beef Stroganoff Cups

Meatballs in Spaghetti NestsPork and Plum

Grown-Up Bologna SandwichesBeef Shepherd’s Pie

Chinese BBQ Pork Buns

Ham and Asparagus CupsTaco Mini Pies

Spice-Rubbed Pork TenderloinBur-Ogies

Stuffed Cube Steak

Cheeseburger Pies

Chapter 4 Chicken and Turkey

Cornmeal-Crusted Mustard Chicken withSweet Potato Coins

Turkey Tetrazzini

Apricot-Lime Chicken

Chicken Florentine Meatloaf

Teriyaki Turkey Cups

Moroccan Chicken Potpie

Chicken with Rosemary Goat CheeseChicken Parmesan in A Cup

Chicken Tortilla Pies

Turkey Cranberry Cups

Tangy Nut-Crusted Chicken

Chicken with Caper and Dill Sauce

Turkey Goulash

Individual Chicken Casseroles

Mango Tandoori Chicken

Sour Cream and Onion Chicken NuggetsTurkey Empanadas

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Peanut Chicken with Crunchy Soba NoodlesChicken and Biscuits

Chicken Fettuccine

Chapter 5 Seafood

Salmon Noodle Bake

Tilapia with Bok Choy and LoganberryShrimp and Pesto in Phyllo

Very Veggie Tuna Noodle Casserole

Crab Cakes with Lemon Mayo Sauce

Halibut and Broccoli with Brown ButterSalmon in Yogurt Sauce over Zucchini-RiceCakes

Greek Shrimp Cups

Salmon and Rice Cakes

Creamy Shrimp in Puff Pastry

Chapter 6 Potatoes, Rice, Pizza, and Pasta

Duchess Potatoes

Skinny Pizza Cups

Candied Yams

Linguine Nests

Twice-Baked Stuffed Potatoes

Hearty Deep-Dish Pizzas

Maple Sweet Potato and Kale

Savory Noodle Kugel

Butternut Squash Rice Cups

Smashed Red Potato Cakes

Mac and Cheese Cups

Potato Parsnip Cups

White Pizzas

Stuffed Potato Cups

Wild Rice Frittatas

Yorkshire Pudding

Ravioli Lasagna

Tortellini in Ham Cups

Inside Out Samosas

Lucky Bamboo Asparagus

Zucchini, Corn, and Tomato CupsSquash Casserole

French Onion Pie

Edamame in Rice Paper CupsCauliflower Gratin

Cherry Tomato Cups

Roasted Swiss Chard

Broccoli Soufflé Cups

Brussels Sprouts Cups

Mushroom Tarts

Savory Carrot “Cakes”

Smashed Pea Cups

Baked Veggie Stir-Fry

Stewed Tomato Cups

Baked Bean Pies with SlawGreen Beans and Mushrooms

Chapter 8 Muffins and Breads

Corn Muffins

Banana Pecan Muffins

Monkey Bread

Pizza Muffins

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

Mini Grilled Cheese and Tomato SandwichesPeanut Butter and Jelly Muffins

Rosemary Biscuits

Savory Spinach Muffins

Kiwi Muffins with Glaze

Individual Cheddar Chive Soda Breads

Mini Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Irish Brown Bread Squares

Tea Muffins with Flavored Butter

Apple Cinnamon Scones with Glaze orClotted Cream

Ham and Cheese Muffins

Mango Coconut Muffins

Maple Bacon Muffins

Buckwheat Pear Muffins with Glaze

Pistachio Orange Chocolate Chip MuffinsPumpkin Maple Walnut Muffins with Glaze

Chapter 9 Desserts

Mini Ice-Cream Cakes

Nectarine Crisp with Crumb Topping

Black-Bottom Strawberry Cheesecake

Peaches and Cream Mini Pies

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups

Gram’s Chocolate Cupcakes with EasyButtercream Frosting

Dirty Blonde Brownies

Strawberry Trifle

Trashed Krispies

Caramel Apple Mini Pies

Molasses Bites

Pumpkin Ginger Mini Pies

Butter Pecan Cupcakes with FrostingCroissant Bread Pudding

Date and Nut Bites

Blueberry Mini Pies

Mini Fondue

Poppy Seed Cupcakes

Shortbread Brownies

Apple Cupcakes

Pineapple Upside-Down Cakes

Lemon Pudding Cake

Chocolate Lava Cakes

Lemon Pound Cake

Crunchy Peanut Cupcakes

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes with OreoFrosting

Hot Chocolate Muffins

introduction

uffin tin cooking is fun, exciting, andcreative! With your muffin tins you cancreate just about every type of dish

imaginable (entrées, vegetables, potatoes,desserts, appetizers, and more)

Mu n tin dishes are easy to serve, easy

to pass, and easy to share at a party or atyour family table, or to savor just byyourself Children especially enjoy beingserved mu n tin food Mu n tin foods arealso easy to store Just pop the individualcups into a storage container, or simplycover your mu n tin with plastic wrap orfoil Cleanup is easy, too If you use paper

or foil liners, you throw them out or recyclethem

The best part is that these dishes areportion controlled You know exactly how

big a serving actually is, and there’s nofooling yourself that you’ll just have a tinybit more of something If you want more,you have to help yourself to another cup.One mu n cup is one serving, and that’sthat.

Muffin Tin Types

Today there are more choices than everwhen it comes to muffin tins Regular

muffin tins (without nonstick coating) dostill exist but may take some work to find.You may even find cast iron muffin tins,stoneware tins, or ceramic tins Ceramic andstoneware tins are nice if you like to servedirectly from the tin itself, because they aredecorative Nonstick muffin tins are popularbecause the nonstick coating keeps yourdishes from sticking Don’t put all your faith

in nonstick coating, though! Always spray anonstick muffin tin with cooking spray

before using It is also a very good idea tospray the top of the muffin tin (the flatspaces in between the cups), because youmay drop food there while filling the cupsand the spray will help you clean it up.

Always read the care instructions thatcome with your tins and follow them Dryyour tins completely to avoid any problemswith rust Also be sure when you are bakingwith your tins that any empty cups in thetin are completely clean (if not, you willjust bake on whatever is there)

Disposable aluminum mu n tins arehandy if you’re taking food somewhere butdon’t have a dependable carrier to put yourcups in Just bake them in the disposabletins (spray the tins with cooking spray rst,

or use liners), and they are easy totransport

Silicone mu n tins are a recent addition

to the market These pans are soft and

exible and bake in a metal holder, or canstand on a baking sheet They make it easy

to push food out of the mu n cups withoutsticking, but their exibility can mean yourfood might come out in pieces, as theexibility can be di cult to control.Specialty silicone mu n pans now come inspeci c shapes, such as dinosaurs or stars,which are fun for children’s parties orholidays

Muffin Tin Sizes

Muffin pans themselves come in many sizes.Regular is your old standby Jumbo is

bigger, and mini is for tiny little dishes, likemini muffins or appetizers You’ll need allthree sizes if you plan to try all the recipes

in this book Be aware that different

manufacturers make their tins in slightlydifferent sizes; so while a recipe in this bookmay be for 12 regular muffin cups, if yours

is a bit smaller, you might find that yourrecipe stretches to 13 cups.

A newcomer on the mu n tin scene is thesquare mu n pan These pans usually have

12 square cups that are a bit larger thanregular round mu n cups (they holdslightly less than ¾ cup, while regular roundcups hold about ½ cup) They’re great formaking things like brownies, little cakes,and little loaves of bread, or just to changethings up

Not only do mu n tins come in di erentdiameters, but they also come with di erentnumbers of actual cups in them The mostcommon are 6, 12, and 24 cups per pan.Any con guration will work, but smallernumbers of cups may mean you will need tobake in batches for the larger recipes

Each recipe indicates the size of

mu n tin needed; you’ll nd this to the

right of the recipe yield next to the mu nicon.

Keep in mind that you can make yourdishes any size you like, but you will need toadjust cooking time up or down accordingly(if you make a bigger cup than the recipesuggests, baking time will be longer; if youmake a smaller cup, baking time will beshortened)

Muffin Pan Liners

Some of these recipes are cooked directly inthe tin, while others require liners Thereare more types of muffin tin liners availablenow than you could even imagine The oldstandby is the paper liner, but you can findthese now in many colors (and patterns), aswell as in a parchment version that hasmore nonstick properties Foil liners are apaper liner fitted inside a foil liner It’simportant to keep the paper liners inside

the foil liners when using them The paperkeeps the muffin cup from losing moisture,and the foil keeps everything together.

You can also buy individual reusablesilicone mu n liners They come in all thecolors of the rainbow These pop into yourmetal mu n tin and are removed likepaper liners, or you can just set them on abaking sheet (note though that if you dothis, your recipe will cook faster than if youput the liners in the tins) If you’re onlymaking 4 muffin cups, you can use exactly 4silicone cups on a baking sheet, unlikeregular mu n tins where you use the entirepan no matter how many cups you ll Youneed to wash silicone liners to be able toreuse them (they are dishwasher safe) Theirreusability is one bene t Another is theirrmness, which holds food in better This isparticularly helpful if you’re serving thefood right in the cup (as many recipes in

this book do).

Tulip mu n liners (paper liners that havetall points sticking up from them into theair) are very pretty and work best for thingslike cupcakes and mu ns They aren’t verypractical for the other types of foods in thiscookbook

One thing to note about mu n tin liners

is that they tend to vary slightly in size frombrand to brand Some may be slightlysmaller than the openings in your mu npan, while others might be slightly larger(and will need to be gently pressed in tot) If your mu n liners are a slightly

di erent size from your tin, it can changethe amount that a recipe makes, so just beaware of this as you cook You might need

to make one more cup if your liners areslightly smaller

Using Pie Crusts

Many recipes in this book use pie crusts.These recipes refer you back to this page forinstructions on how to cut out the crusts.

Unroll your refrigerated pie crust (youcan make your own if you prefer; if you do,

be sure to roll it out to about a 9" circle).Align a 4" biscuit cutter (or a 28-ounce can

of tomatoes is exactly the right size) againstthe edge of the crust Cut out 1 circle.Repeat, cutting the next as close as possible

to the previous cut-out You will get 5circles Now take 2 big pieces of dough andpress them together so you can cut out 1more circle Place each circle into a regularmuffin tin cup It will fit exactly, so the edge

of the crust is right at the top edge of thecup

Crescent Roll Crusts

Some recipes in the book use crescent rolldough as crusts Open up the tube of

crescent roll dough and separate the piecesinto individual triangles Take one triangleand place the shortest side (the one that isopposite the point) in the bottom of the cup.Fold the rest of the dough around into thecup, then press the dough around until itcompletely lines the inside of the cup andthe edges meet.

Meat Temperature Chart

Meat TemperatureAll whole cuts of meat,

is made in a muffin liner, serve it in theliner, removed from the tin If it is madedirectly in the tin, remove it from the tin forplating or serving When removing itemscooked directly in the tins, carefully run athin knife around the edges to loosen them.Then use a knife, fork, or thin spoon to lift

them out This same technique will work forremoving items made in liners; use a spoonand get it underneath the bottom of theliner to lift.

Dishes created in mu n cups look verypretty arranged or stacked on a platter, butthey can also be directly plated Another funserving idea is to buy a cupcake tree orstand, which holds nished cupcakes inlayers and can be used for many mu n tinrecipes Test out any items before servingthem in the wire trees; some of the dishes inthis book that are not solid enough (avegetable dish, for example) might slipthrough the wire holder

Nutritional Analysis

The recipes in this book are complete withfull nutrition data You’ll see a listing thatlooks like this:

That means that particular recipe has 97

calories, 2.2 grams of fat, 3.8 grams ofprotein, 74 milligrams of sodium, 15.5grams of carbohydrates, 1.4 grams ofsugars, and 1.5 grams of ber per piece.Nutrition information does not includeoptional ingredients.

considered healthy if it is low in saturatedfat and sodium Usually, only foods with nomore than 30 percent of calories from fatare identi ed as healthy, but some recipesthat have a higher fat content have beenlabeled “healthy” because some of the fatcomes from nuts or olive oil, which areheart-healthy fats For healthy recipes,sodium per serving is under 500 mg Tokeep sodium content down, you can alsochoose not to add salt to any of the recipes,and substitute lower-sodium versions ofsauces and condiments It’s important toremember balance and to look at the overallpicture when choosing recipes; a vegetablerecipe with lots of cheese (high in saturatedfat and sodium) will not be as healthy as avegetable recipe that uses olive oil or has noadded fat Mu n tin cooking is a fun way

to try old favorites and new avors Enjoyyour muffin tin adventures!

shrimp cakes with cilantro lime dipping sauce 

Makes 12

8 ounces raw shrimp, peeled

½ the green part of a scallion

⅛ stalk of celery

⅛ teaspoon dry mustard

¾ teaspoon lemon juice

3 tablespoons panko

1 egg white

1 tablespoon light mayonnaise

Salt and pepper to taste

Pinch of Old Bay seasoning

Mini

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F

2 Fill 12 mini muffin cups with paper linersand spray them with cooking spray

3 Place all ingredients in a food processorand pulse until the vegetables are

completely chopped and the ingredients arecompletely mixed If you do not have a food

processor, finely chop shrimp, scallion, andcelery Mix with the other ingredients in asmall bowl.

4 Fill each cup to the top

5 Bake for 9 minutes, until the cakes are setand the shrimp cooked through

Dipping sauce:

1 Mix ½ cup light mayonnaise, 2tablespoons chopped cilantro and 1tablespoon lime juice in a small bowl Serve

as a dipping sauce or place a dollop on top

of each shrimp cake

You can also make this recipe in a regular

mu n tin and serve it on a bun with themayo sauce as a shrimp burger

CALORIES 20 calories

Makes 12–20, depending on mushroom size

10 ounces baby bella or white mushrooms,stems removed and reserved

¼ cup seasoned bread crumbs

1 tablespoon light cream cheese

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese, plusadditional for topping

Pinch dry mustard

½ teaspoon Italian seasoning

½ small garlic clove

1 tablespoon shredded part-skim mozzarellacheese

2 tablespoons grated fontina cheese

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter

1 tablespoon frozen spinach, defrosted andsqueezed dry

3 Place remaining ingredients and 4

mushroom stems in food processor and pulseuntil completely mixed

4 Divide mixture among the mushroomcaps

5 Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes,until mushrooms are cooked through

6 Remove from oven, remove foil, andsprinkle a large pinch of Parmesan cheese

on top of each cap

7 Return to oven uncovered, and bake for 5more minutes Serve

This recipe is a great way to make stuffedmushrooms because the caps don’t slidearound The muffin cups hold them in place.Add 1 slice chopped cooked bacon to thestuffing, for some additional flavor

CALORIES 53 calories (for

½ pound lean ground beef

½ cup salsa (your choice of heat)

2 cups Fritos, plus additional for topping

1 cup shredded taco cheese

4 teaspoons chopped green chilies

Jumbo

1 Preheat oven to 400°F, and prepare 8jumbo muffin cups with foil or siliconeliners

2 Cook beef in a pan, until browned

3 Stir in salsa, and cook until reduced

4 Place ¼ cup Fritos in each cup

5 Top with 1 tablespoon cheese in eachcup

6 Top with beef, divided among cups

7 Top with 7 or 8 Fritos in each cup

8 Sprinkle 1 tablespoon cheese on each

9 Top with ½ teaspoon chilies on each

10 Bake for 5 minutes, or until the cheese ismelted

I love having individual servings of thissnack These fun treats are easiest to eatwith a fork, but fingers are definitely

allowed Try some for your next Super Bowlparty!

12 sea scallops, washed, cleaned, and dried

1 garlic clove, chopped

¼ teaspoon grated fresh gingerroot

2 teaspoons lime juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon tamari sauce (or soy sauce)Salt and pepper, to taste

Mini

1 Preheat oven to 400°F, and prepare a cup mini muffin tin by spraying it withcooking spray

12-2 Place 1 scallop in each cup

3 Mix other ingredients and spoon over thescallops

4 Bake for 4–5 minutes, until the scallopsare cooked through Serve these yummylittle bites on a plate of lettuce with a

toothpick in each

Sea scallops are the larger scallops and are