Barbecue Cups

Four ingredients and 35 minutes. That’s all it takes for these barbecue cups that kids go crazy for. Refrigerated buttermilk biscuit dough gets pressed into muffin tins to form edible cups, filled with seasoned ground beef in barbecue sauce, and topped with melted cheddar.

The biscuit dough is the genius shortcut. Press each round into a greased muffin cup and it bakes into a golden, bread-bowl-style shell that holds the saucy filling without getting soggy. The edges puff up and crisp while the bottom stays soft enough to eat in two bites.

Browning the beef, draining the grease, and simmering it in barbecue sauce is the only real cooking involved. The sauce needs to be thick enough to stay in the cups. Thin, runny sauce leaks through the biscuit dough and makes the bottoms mushy.

Ten to twelve minutes at high heat bakes the biscuit shells and melts the cheese into a bubbly cap on top.

Kitchen Tips

• Spray the muffin tin well. Biscuit dough sticks when it bakes and the cups tear when you try to remove them.
• Press the biscuit dough firmly into the bottom and up the sides. Thin spots will blow out when the filling goes in.
• Drain the beef thoroughly after browning. Excess grease in the filling makes soggy cups.
• Let them cool in the pan for 2 minutes before removing. They’re fragile when hot.

Variations

• Add diced onion and green bell pepper to the beef for more flavor and texture.
• Use pulled pork or shredded chicken instead of ground beef for a different barbecue filling.
• Swap cheddar for pepper jack for a spicier cheese topping.