Fancy Mini Muffins or Country Chic Mini Muffins

I've been teaching a monthly class/get-together where I supervise other moms making cards, like these. We normally serve some light finger foods at the class. I have bought mini muffin/cupcakes from Walmart before, but thought I would actually make something last month.

And so the Fancy Mini Muffins were created...

Actually, I used a chocolate chip muffin mix (I think it was Pillsbury in a plastic packet). And when I bake mini muffins (or any muffins for that matter), I like to use the cute little cupcake liners...mostly because I hate cleaning up the baked on messes...and because the muffins look so cute all dressed up!

But, when I looked in my cupboard, I found an empty package...no cupcake liners in sight. What's a girl to do? I grabbed my parchment paper and my kitchen shears...and went to work.

I used square pieces of parchment paper pushed down into the individual holes. Then I filled the paper 3/4 the way full and baked according to the directions on the package.

The paper corners browned ever so slightly in the oven, which give the muffins a very home-made look (in a good way). We (the moms at the class) were amazed by how easily and cleanly the parchment paper peeled off of the mini muffins themselves, leaving less crumbly mess and more muffin to eat. One of the ladies made the comment, "They look like something Martha Stewart would bring to a party." Really?!? I'm no Martha Stewart (I mean, who is? Martha isn't even Martha Stewart all by herself)...but I do appreciate the compliment. And, I could possibly see something like these in the pages of her magazine :)

The Fancy Mini Muffins were a big hit! I didn't get a picture of them sitting nicely on a square plate, but trust me they we CA-UTE! Maybe they were a tad more of a 'Country Chic' mini muffins than Fancy...which one do you think fits best?

I would like to make a challenge: next time, skip the paper liners and try parchment paper instead-it's less messy when you peel it away from the muffin...and it looks fun, too ;)

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Have a happy Monday!