Bacon Cheeseburger Mini Puffs

I meant to post these in time for them to be added to your Super Bowl menu. Actually, I originally made them a few days ago (plenty of time!) but I thought they needed some tweaks so I didn’t get to post the final product until today. You still have a few hours to run out and buy the ingredients if you’re so inclined!

I got the idea for these from the Pepperoni Pizza Mini Puffs I’ve made and enjoyed in the past. I figured it’d be pretty easy to use the base from those and change the flavors to something equally as tasty. I made these pretty basic but you could definitely add in other things to customize them to your liking: chopped tomatoes, pickles, jalapenos, mushrooms, or whatever else you like to put on burgers. I think I might try them with a few chopped grape tomatoes or some chopped pickles next time. I recommend serving these with ketchup and mustard for dipping – it gives you the full burger flavor experience.

These are super quick to throw together and the recipe can easily double to feed a larger crowd. Perfect for a party but also easy enough for just a snack. Get all the cheeseburger flavor you love in each little puff!

Bacon Cheeseburger Mini Puffs
Source: Emily Bites Original

Ingredients:
6 oz raw 95% lean ground beef
1 T McCormick Hamburger seasoning
3 T finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
¾ c white whole wheat flour
¾ t baking powder
1/8 t salt
1/8 t crushed red pepper flakes
¾ c skim milk
1 large egg
4 oz reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (I used Cabot 50% reduced fat but you can also use 2% pre-shredded)
3 T Hormel Real Bacon Bits

Possible condiments for serving: ketchup, mustard, relish (not included in nutrition information below)

Directions:
1.    Pre-heat the oven to 350. Lightly mist a 24 count mini muffin tin with cooking spray.
2.    Bring a medium skillet over medium-high heat and add the ground beef. Cook, breaking up into small pieces with a spoon or spatula. When partially browned, add the hamburger seasoning and mix in. Continue to cook until meat is browned. Add chopped onion and garlic and cook a couple more minutes until onion is tender. Remove from heat.
3.    In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt and crushed red pepper. Add the milk and egg and whisk together to thoroughly combine. Add the ground beef mixture, cheese and bacon bits and stir until combined.
4.    Divide the batter evenly amongst the prepared mini muffin tin cups. Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes until golden. Serve with the condiments of your choice for dipping (I prefer ketchup and mustard).

Yields 24 puffs. WW P+: 1 per puff (4 puffs are 5 P+) (P+ calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)
Nutrition Information per puff from myfitnesspal.com: 44 calories, 3 g carbs, 2 g fat, 4 g protein, 0 g fiber