Ana's Mac and Cheese Bites

I love it when my sweet daughters take over the kitchen and cook.  They are such great little chefs!  My oldest daughter, Ana, made these for us the other day.  They are delicious!!  And super easy too!  Get ready for a bite of heaven!  YUM!  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

-1/2 lb elbow macaroni pasta

-2 Tbs salted butter

-2 Tbs flour

-1 1/2 cups milk (no lower than 2%)

-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

-2 oz cream cheese

-1/2 tsp salt

-1/4 tsp pepper

-1 large egg, beaten

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Spray one mini muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside.

Cook the macaroni according to package directions.  Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a small pan, combine the butter and flour.  Whisk until mixture is nice and smooth.  Slowly add the milk and bring to a simmer.  Add 1 1/2 cups of the cheese, all the cream cheese, salt and pepper.  Give it a good stir and cook until creamy.  Remove from the heat and pour over drained pasta.  Mix very well.  Add the beaten egg and mix well.

Spoon mixture evenly into prepared pan.  Top each bite with a small pinch of the remaining cheese.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Carefully, remove mac and cheese bites from pan onto serving plates.  Enjoy!

**Note: you can also make this into regular mac and cheese.  Just double the recipe, then pour mixture into greased 9x13 pan and top with the cheese.  Bake at 400 F for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.