Do You Know the Muffin Pan? 5 New Ways to Use Our Favorite Kitchen Tool (2024)

Oh muffin pan, how do we love thee? You make it so easy breezy for us to make caramel apple cupcakes, healthy zucchini muffins, even deep dish pizzas. It’s no secret that we’re total muffin pan addicts, mostly because they’re one of the most versatile tools in the kitchen – and we’re not just talking cupcakes and muffins here. Follow the recipes below to see how we planned the food for an entire party around one genius pan.

And to take things even further, we served up all of this deliciousness in one jumbo pan (co*cktail included)! This little hack of ours would be great for bite size meals at bridal showers, baby showers, bachelorette parties, and the like.

If you’re new to the world of culinary creativity, or have a friend who claims they don’t know how to cook, may we suggest gifting them a muffin pan or two? Jumbo ones, mini ones, and regular-sized ones all make perfect wedding gifts – helloooo registry! It’s seriously all you need to make all your hostess-with-the-mostest dreams come true.

Ingredients:
– 2 cups elbow pasta

– 2 tablespoons butter

– 2 tablespoons flour

– 1 ½ cups 2% milk

– 3 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

– 1 can (4 oz) green chiles

– Garnish: finely chopped jalapeños

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Boil pasta according to package directions. Start by melting the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Once butter is melted, add flour and stir until bubbling, then continue to cook for another minute.

Stir in milk and bring to a boil. Continue stirring until sauce is thickened, then add cheese and green chiles. Mix until cheese is melted. Add pasta and toss until combined Spoon mixture into mini muffin pans, and bake for 20 minutes.

Ingredients:
– 1 ½ cups parmesan

– 1 package of pre-shredded kale and carrot salad mix

– ¼ cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

– 1 Granny Smith apple, finely diced

– ¼ cup olive oil

– ¼ cup lime juice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. On a baking sheet, make ¼ cup mounds of parmesan cheese. Gently pat to form six thin circles. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until slightly starting to brown. Remove from oven and quickly place inside jumbo muffin cups, pressing to gently form a cup shape.

Mix together remaining ingredients and place a small amount within each parmesan cup.

Ingredients:
– 6 corn tortillas

– 3 cups butternut squash, chopped

– 2 poblanos

– 1 red onion

– ½ cup tomatillo salsa

– Cotija or goat cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Turn a regular-sized muffin pan over. Brush each tortilla with olive oil and lay over a muffin cup so that it drapes off the sides. Place pan in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and gently pinch the tortilla so that it fits inside a jumbo muffin cup. Set aside.

Cut onion into thin horizontal slices and place in a medium-sized saute pan. Add one tablespoon olive oil, and cook over low to medium-low heat for about 3 minutes, or until onions are translucent and begin to caramelize. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, place butternut squash and poblano peppers on a baking sheet. Roast for 10 minutes, turn poblano peppers over, and roast for another 10 to 20 minutes until peppers are burned in spots. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Peel peppers and roughly chop.

To assemble, place butternut squash inside a tortilla shell followed by poblanos and onion. Top with tomatillo salsa and goat cheese.

Ingredients:
– 6 corn tortillas

– 1 roasted chicken

– 2-3 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

– ¼ cup tomatillo salsa

– 1/4 cup lime juice

– Garnish: sour cream, avocado, cilantro

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Again, turn a regular-sized muffin pa nover. Brush each tortilla with olive oil and lay over a muffin cup so that it drapes off the sides. Place pan in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and gently pinch the tortilla so that it fits within a jumbo muffin cup. Set aside.

Shred roasted chicken. Roughly chop chipotle peppers and add to roasted chicken. Stir in tomatillo salsa and lime juice. To assemble, place chicken mixture inside each taco shell followed by sour cream, avocado, and cilantro.

Ingredients:
– 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

– 1 cup (2 sticks) butter

– 1 teaspoon vanilla

– 2 cups confectioners’ sugar

– 4 eggs

– 3/4 cup flour

– 1/2 teaspoon paprika

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Butter sixjumbo muffin cups. Melt butter and chocolate in a medium-sized bowl. Add vanilla, eggs, and powdered sugar, stirring until combined. Mix in flour and paprika, and then pour into muffin pans, filling to about three-quarters full. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, or until sides are firm but the center is still jiggly. Let rest two minutes before removing from pans. Serve hot.

And for our final idea, we’re loving using jumbo muffin cups as our serving plates. Each person can grab a tin and place all five dishes (plus a margarita) into each of the muffin cups. We’re pretty obsessed with this fun, new way to use muffin pans for more than baking!

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