16 Muffin Tin Recipes That Make the Cutest Little Bites
There's so much you can do beyond baking muffins.
That muffin tin hiding in the back of your cabinet can do a whole lot more than bake a dozen muffins! Sure, it’s great for a batch of something warm and sweet in the morning, but some of the best muffin tin recipes have nothing to do with muffins at all. Ree Drummond uses hers to make everything from fluffy egg bites to cheesy appetizers and pull-apart dinner rolls. You can even turn a pile of potatoes into individual stacks with crispy, golden edges. Not bad for one humble pan!
For busy mornings, try bacon and cheese egg bites that can hang out in the fridge until everyone is ready for breakfast. When company’s coming, a mini muffin tin is just the thing for flaky pimento cheese puffs, spinach artichoke cups, and cranberry brie bites that guests can grab with one hand. Then there are the sweets: mini apple pies, cheesecakes, brownie bites, and plenty of actual muffins, too.
And that’s part of the fun. A muffin tin makes just about anything cuter—and gives everyone their own little portion, which means there’s no arguing over who got the bigger piece. From breakfast to dessert, these recipes will give that pan a whole lot more to do than you ever expected.
Bacon and Cheese Egg Bites
Ree likes to make a batch of these at the beginning of the week so Ladd can grab one on his way out the door. (Now that’s a useful breakfast!) Cottage cheese gets blended right into the eggs to make them extra fluffy.
Get Ree’s Bacon and Cheese Egg Bites recipe.
Potato Stacks
This might be the best argument yet for using your muffin tin at dinnertime! Thin slices of potato are stacked with cream, cheddar, parmesan, garlic, and thyme, then baked until the centers are soft and cheesy and the edges turn wonderfully crisp.
Get the Potato Stacks recipe.
Pimento Cheese Puffs
Of course Ree found another delicious vehicle for pimento cheese! Here, puff pastry gets tucked into a mini muffin pan and filled with a creamy mixture of cheddar, monterey jack, cream cheese, pimentos, and a little adobo sauce. They come out flaky, golden, and just the right size to pop on an appetizer plate.
Get Ree’s Pimento Cheese Puffs recipe.
Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes
How cute are these individual cheesecakes? They're the happy medium of pumpkin pie and New York-style cheesecake, ready to be served at any party.
Get the Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe.
Individual Sausage Casseroles
Call them egg bites or call them mini casseroles. Either way, this is a delicious savory breakfast option that's equally appealing for brunch at home or a quick bite on-the-go.
Get Ree's Individual Sausage Casseroles recipe.
Mini Apple Pies
Not only are these individual apple pies surprisingly easy to make, but they're also so impressive. The trick is to use store-bought pie dough, which saves so much prep time.
Get Ree's Mini Apple Pies recipe.
Spinach Puffs
Elegant appetizers are a cinch if you use store-bought puff pastry and a muffin tin. You can make them mini or larger in a standard pan.
Get the Spinach Puffs recipe.
Monkey Bread Muffins
The secret to these monkey bread muffins? A couple of cans of buttermilk biscuits! They're sprinkled with cinnamon-sugar and drizzled with a milky glaze for a sweet breakfast bite.
Get the Monkey Bread Muffins recipe.
Homemade Peanut Butter Cups
Skip the store and make peanut butter cups yourself! Adding graham cracker crumbs to the filling help keep the peanut butter from oozing out.
Get the Homemade Peanut Butter Cups recipe.
Cranberry Brie Bites
These look fancy, but cranberry brie bites are incredibly easy to make. They take just four ingredients: flaky puff pastry, cranberry sauce, brie, and pistachios.
Get the Cranberry Brie Bites recipe.
Pecan Tassies
Everyone expects to eat pecan pie at Thanksgiving. What they probably don't expect, however, is to get to enjoy their own individual version! That's just want these tassies taste like.
Get the Pecan Tassies recipe.
No-Knead Cloverleaf Dinner Rolls
If you want to make bread from scratch but feel intimidated by the process, Ree's got you covered. No kneading and no shaping, either. Just pop pieces in a muffin tin.
Get Ree's No-Knead Cloverleaf Dinner Rolls recipe.
Spinach Artichoke Cups
Make everyone's favorite dip bite-sized. Here, wonton wrappers crisp up to hold the cheesy filling for an easy appetizer that everyone can just grab and go.
Get Ree's Spinach Artichoke Cups recipe.
Eggs in Hash Brown Nests
This all-in-one breakfast bite features homemade hash browns and jammy eggs. They're seasoned simply with salt and pepper but don't be afraid to add a dash or two of hot sauce.
Get Ree's Eggs in Hash Brown Nests recipe.
French Breakfast Puffs
Consider this your new favorite sweet breakfast. A mashup of donut holes and muffins, these breakfast puffs are rolled in cinnamon-sugar for a warm and delicious treat.
Get Ree's French Breakfast Puffs recipe.
Pancake Mini-Muffins
Ree published this recipe over a decade ago and it still continues to be one of her most popular. She folds fresh blueberries into the mix, but feel free to leave them plain (or add chocolate chips!).
Get Ree's Pancake Mini-Muffins recipe.
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