Herb Stuffing Muffins

When I mentioned to my mother that I was planning to make a traditional herb stuffing this weekend, she replied, “You should bake it in muffin tins!” She had just read an article in The New York Times in which the author was extremely pleased with the results of her efforts to concoct stuffing muffins that were crisp on the outside and steamy soft on the inside: “Imagine how good they must have been, then times it to the 10th power.” That was all the encouragement I needed to give it a try.

This turned out to be an excellent way to prepare stuffing, for a few reasons. Foremost, it maximizes the crispy parts, which are my favorites. Also, the individual portions are easy to freeze – in that it’s still over a week until Thanksgiving, you can be sure I’ll be saving these!

Did the muffins stay intact? Some yes, some no. I think I attempted to remove them while they were still a little too warm. The recipe in The New York Times, with the addition of white wine and pancetta, appears to be a bit wetter than this McCormick recipe so it might have held together better. But even for the ones that fell apart, the extra-crispiness and individual portioning alone was enough to make this approach worthwhile to me.

Herb Stuffing Muffins
Adapted from a McCormick holiday recipe pamphlet and inspired by The New York Times

Makes 14-16 muffins

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, plus more for greasing muffin tin
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
3/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 cups dry unseasoned bread cubes
2 cups chicken stock

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Melt butter in a large skillet on medium heat. Add celery and onion; cook and stir 5 minutes. Stir in thyme, poultry seasoning, seasoned salt and pepper.

Place bread cubes in a large bowl. Add celery mixture and broth; toss gently until well mixed. Spoon into generously greased muffin tins, pressing down so each cup is well-filled.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until heated through and lightly browned.

See the Recipe Index for all the recipes on Cooking On the Side.

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