These stuffing muffins are full of delicious, traditional stuffing flavors. They can be served as a side dish at any meal, as an appetizer or perhaps as a snack.
1/2 lb. bulk pork sausage
1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. finely chopped celery
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and diced
1 t. rubbed sage
1 t. garlic powder
5 c. dry unseasoned bread cubes
1/2 c. dried cranberries
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 c. chicken stock
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray 12 regular-sized muffin cups with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.*
Cook and crumble sausage in medium skillet on medium heat until no longer pink. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Discard excess grease.
Melt butter in the same skillet on medium heat. Add onions; cook and stir 2 - 3 minutes. Add celery and apple; cook and stir just until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in sage and garlic powder; cook and stir about 1 minute or until fragrant.
Transfer onion mixture to a large bowl. Add cooked sausage, bread cubes, and dried cranberries. Stir in eggs and chicken stock until well mixed and stuffing is moistening. Spoon stuffing mixture into the prepared muffin cups, gently pressing stuffing into the cups and forming slightly mounded tops.
Bake 20 - 22 minutes or until golden.
Remove from the oven; cool 5 - 10 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Run a knife or spatula around each cup to loosen the stuffing muffins. Use a spoon to gently release muffins from the cups.
Serve warm.
12 servings.
*You could use cupcake liners for this recipe.
**These muffins can be frozen, thawed and reheated at a later time. Refrigerate the baked muffins and when ready to reheat, remove them from the refrigerator and place on a 13x9 inch baking pan, leaving a little space in between the muffins. Cover with foil. Reheat in preheated 350 degrees F oven for about 15 minutes, or until heated through. To get the tops a little crispy, remove the foil for the last 5 minutes.