Cheeseburger Mini Muffins
My little invention for people who crave cheeseburgers but want to stay away from fast food. I like to freeze them, then reheat as needed. They also work well as appetizers.
My little invention for people who crave cheeseburgers but want to stay away from fast food. I like to freeze them, then reheat as needed. They also work well as appetizers.
- Carbohydrate 10.0829436084551 g
- Cholesterol 35.740657981541 mg
- Fat 7.68832054856453 g
- Fiber 0.0696678772519929 g
- Protein 5.51658501027567 g
- Saturated Fat 4.4800597837864 g
- Serving Size 1 1 (54g)
- Sodium 280.785700887706 mg
- Sugar 10.0132757312031 g
- Trans Fat 0.608999149745907 g
- Calories 129 calories
Step-by-step
- In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, combine the ketchup, milk, butter, eggs and mustard; stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in the beef mixture and cheese.
- Fill greased miniature muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 425° for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers.
How can anyone tell when miniature baked goods are completely finished without puncturing every single piece in the pan? The baking process relies on structural set and internal crumb moisture rather than core temperature tracking, which means visual and tactile cues are the primary indicators of success. When the batter transforms from a glossy, wet mixture into a matte surface with golden-brown edges pulling slightly away from the metal wall, the starches have gelatinized and the proteins in the flour and egg have formed a stable matrix. Overbaking leads to dry edges because the high surface-area-to-volume ratio of miniature portions accelerates moisture loss in a 425-degree oven.
Stirring the wet ingredients into the dry components requires precise restraint to prevent the development of gluten strands that toughen the crumb. Folding the cooked ground beef and shredded cheddar cheese at the very end distributes dense mix-ins evenly throughout the thick batter without defusing the leavening action provided by the baking powder. Because chemical leaveners begin reacting immediately upon hydration, transferring the filled pan into the hot oven without delay ensures maximum vertical rise before the cell walls set permanently in place. Greasing the miniature muffin cups thoroughly with fat prevents sticking, while filling each cavity three-fourths full allows adequate room for expansion.
Testing doneness involves inserting a wooden toothpick into the center of a central muffin to check for wet batter adherence. A clean extraction with zero wet crumbs indicates the interior starch networks are fully cooked, though a few moist crumbs are acceptable if they are not runny. Allowing the baked items to rest undisturbed in the hot pan for precisely five minutes utilizes residual heat to finish setting the delicate interiors while contracting the outer crust enough to release the suction against the metal cups. Transferring them immediately to a wire rack stops the cooking process and prevents condensation from softening the crisp exterior bottom crust.
Standard miniature muffin tins yield thirty uniform portions, but standard twelve-cup muffin pans serve as a practical substitute when scaled appropriately. Adapting this formula for standard-size vessels requires extending the total bake time to twenty through twenty-five minutes because the increased mass traps heat differently. Storing leftovers in a sealed container inside the refrigerator preserves safety, while subsequent reheating in a moderate oven restores the textural contrast between the soft interior and the cheese-studded exterior.
