She Strengthens

Award-Winning Mac ‘n Cheese Cupcakes

The Winning Recipe

This mouth-watering recipe, created by Team KKR and Bike Basket Pies, took home both First Place and the People’s Choice award at SF Food Wars’ 2009 Mac Battle Royale with Cheese. Congratulations to the talented team!

Timing is Everything

When preparing this recipe, timing is crucial. The cheese sauce requires the most attention, so it’s essential to plan ahead. If you’re cooking alone, complete all prep work first, including washing and chopping the spinach and mushrooms, crumbling and shredding the cheese, and chopping the walnuts. Then, cook the veggies, followed by the cheese sauce, and finally, the macaroni.

Yield: 12-18 Cupcake-Sized Pies

Pie Crust Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups unbleached flour
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup shortening (Earth Balance vegetable shortening)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 6 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 10-18 tablespoons ice-cold water

Pie Crust Instructions

1. Cut butter and shortening into cubes and freeze.
2. Mix flour, salt, and sugar. Add chilled butter/shortening and mix until pea-sized.
3. Add vinegar and cold water, mixing until a ball forms.
4. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.
5. Roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut circles about 6 inches in diameter.
6. Line a plate with parchment paper, stacking dough rounds with parchment paper in between.
7. Chill dough rounds for 30 minutes.
8. Preheat oven to 375°F.
9. Ease dough rounds into cupcake tins, pressing into sides, and trim edges.
10. Chill for 10 minutes.
11. Line dough with foil and pie weights. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

Filling Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 3 cups whole milk
• 1 bay leaf
• Black pepper
• Salt
• 1/2 pound elbow macaroni
• 8 ounces Point Reyes Original Bleu Cheese, crumbled
• 8 ounces Gruyère, shredded
• 1 bunch organic spinach, washed and drained
• 1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms
• Olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced

Filling Instructions

1. Make the roux and béchamel sauce: Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Whisk in flour, then add cold milk slowly. Simmer until smooth, then add salt, black pepper, and bay leaf.
2. Heat olive oil with red pepper over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook until golden brown. Add spinach, nutmeg, and salt to taste. Sauté until spinach is wilted.
3. Toast walnuts in a clean dry pan over medium heat for 5 minutes. Chop and set aside.
4. Boil heavily salted water to cook elbow macaroni. Cook for a slightly shorter time than package instructions.
5. Remove béchamel from heat and gently blend in cheese. Add spinach, mushrooms, and macaroni. Mix thoroughly.
6. Spoon filling into pre-baked cupcake-sized pie shells. Top with toasted and chopped walnuts.
7. Bake for 10 minutes at 450°F.
8. Serve with a slice of Granny Smith apple as garnish.