Rich & Creamy Baked Macaroni Cups (nut-free, vegan, gluten free)

Servings:  24 cups OR 12 cups and 1 8x8 pan 

Does it keep? About a week in the fridge and up to 2 months in the freezer. 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup vegan butter
• 6 Tbsp GF all purpose flour 
• 3 14oz cans coconut milk*
• 1 cup vegetable stock 
• 1 18oz pack GF pasts (GF optional)
• 3 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 cup nutritional yeast
• 3 tsp onion powder
• 3 tsp garlic powder
• 1.5 tsp smoked paprika 
• 1.5 tsp salt 
• 1.5 tsp ground black pepper 

Crunch Puff topping:

 

• 1.5 large bag or 3 small bags of Brass Roots Crunch Puffs (we love all 3 flavors for this recipe so it's your choice!)
• 2 tbsp vegan butter

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F
2. Add the vegan butter (1/2 cup) to a pot and let it melt over medium-high heat. When melted, add in the GF all-purpose flour and mix well until well-incorporated and smooth. You're going to need to watch so the butter doesn't burn!
3. Slowly pour in the cans of coconut milk and the vegetable stock. Whisk out the lumps and keep whisking until it starts to boil. Keep whisking for a few minutes after it has boiled and you will begin to see it thicken. It will continue to thicken as it cools, so it doesn’t have to beall the way there when you remove it from the heat, as long as it has thickened considerably from when you started. If you aren't planning on baking your mac and cheese, the sauce can be thinner, but it should be thick to hold together in the oven if you are making cups!
4. Remove it from the heat and add in the dijon mustard, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper and whisk in. Now your sauce is ready, you can prepare your macaroni.
5. Cook your macaroni according to the package directions (minus a few minutes; see notes*) and then rinse and drain. 
6. Add the cooked macaroni to the sauce and mix. 
7. Transfer the macaroni and sauce evenly into 24 greased muffin tins (feel free to use a muffin liner or not) or 12 greased muffin tins and one greased 8x8 pan if you prefer! 
8. Prepare the "breadcrumb" topping by emptying 3 small bags or 1/2 of a large bag of Brass Roots Crunch Puffs . Pulse blend until you have crumbs. Then transfer to a mixing bowl, and add in the melted vegan butter and toss up the crumbs with the melted butter.
9. Place the breadcrumbs evenly over the top of the cups/pan.
10. Bake for 20 minutes until the topping is golden brown and crispy. If you want a really crispy top, broil your Macaroni & Cheese for a couple of minutes at the end! 

NOTES:

*Slightly undercook the noodles before adding to sauce to ensure they don't get mushy in the oven.