Reynolds Paper Mini Baking Cups: Cute Cupcakes, Tantalizing Tarts & Mouthwatering Mini Morsels!
Written: Mar 30 '06 (Updated Apr 26 '08)
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Pros: Color assortment, 100 cups per package, easy to separate, inexpensive.
Cons: You need the mini tart pans to make the most of them.
The Bottom Line: For tarts, cupcakes, cheesecake bits and more, Reynolds Mini Paper Baking Cups prove that size isn’t everything!
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| Freak369's Full Review: Reynolds Mini Pastel Baking Cups |
Whether you call them cupcake liners, baking cups or skins, they are a necessity when making cupcakes, muffins or tarts unless you want to spend a lot of time cleaning up. I started using the Reynolds Baking Cups when I ran out of the Wilton ones; they were the only brand that my grocery store had so I figured they were better than using nothing at all. Knowing that the Reynolds family of baking products is one of the most popular I had absolutely no concerns with them not working as well as the Wilton ones but they aren’t exactly the most festive things. The mini versions of the regular baking cups work the same as the large and extra large cups and allow you to bake a variety of things without having to grease and flour a pan and the hassle of having to soak and wash it afterwards.
Reynolds Paper Mini Baking Cups
The ones that I usually end up getting are the pastel variety; it’s not that they are my first choice but they are the only ones that seem to be in stock when I buy them. There is a shelf tag for white ones [oddly these are priced at about .50 cents more than the colored ones] but so far I’ve yet to see them in stock. These are completely made out of paper, if that sounds like an odd statement, I’ll explain it. Reynolds makes a paper and foil version of mini baking cup; the foil ones are separated by paper liners that some people use for baking or when they are in a bind and run out of mini paper liners. So there is a possibility that if you are in a rush you could pick up the foil version by accident instead of the paper ones. You get three colors in the pastel assortment; pink, light blue and yellow. Most of the time the colors are visible after baking unless you are using something that is high in oil then the color might be changed a little when the oil gets absorbed by the paper. These might be great colors to use around Easter time but they stick out like a sore thumb if you are using them for Easter or Christmas.
You can use these for baking almost every kind of treat as well as lining tart pans if you want to serve candy, jelly beans or chocolates. I do this around Halloween time when I make cute colorful little trays of goodies. It’s easier to serve them in the tart pans than to fill the cups and have them on a dish or platter. One of my favorite things to do with these cups is to take smashed up granola, rice crispy cereal, rolled seasoned oats and smashed up nuts and mix them in a bowl. I take a tablespoon and scoop it into the tart pans with the liners in place then take melted chocolate [in a squeeze bottle] and drizzle it over the layer. I do about two or three layers depending on the amount of time I have. The end result is a crunchy, chocolaty treat that everyone loves [if using peanuts please make sure to tell guests since some may have food allergies].
About the only downside to these cups is that you need to have the small tart pans to bake with; if you try to use these inside a regular cupcake or muffin tin you will end up with a real mess. The sides will spread out and while the bottom and part of the side of the treat will have the liner on it, the top part won’t and chances are it will stick to the side of the pan. The tart pans can be purchased at places like Jo-Anne’s or Michael’s but for the no frills ones you can check Wal-Mart and Target. Using the tart pans and these mini baking cups will allow you to make smaller treats, a great thing if you are on a diet or making things for a child's birthday party. They can sneak a few of these without getting overloaded with sugar. If you are going to make muffins or cupcakes that rise over the tops of the cups, be sure to use a release spray to ensure that the baked goods won't stick.
Price
These come packaged in packs of one hundred and can usually be found for about $1.39 to $1.59 but I like to grab them when they are on sale or when there is a coupon for them. As I said, you really want to read the package when you are buying these to make sure that you aren’t getting the foil ones. In addition to the mini paper Reynolds also makes these in and extra large foil size and large [standard size] and mini foil and paper. You can check the website to see if they have added any seasonal items to the line up or to find a store that carries them in your area. www.reynoldskitchens.com. If you have any trouble locating these or have any feedback for them, please call their toll free number at [800] 433-2244
The Bottom Line
If you’ve used the regular sized paper baking cups from Reynolds then you’ll know what to expect from these. If not, here’s the bottom line. They separate easily, hold their shape well, don't pop out of the tart pan or become uneven when filling and when baking with foods that contain oils, they don't disintegrate or rip when removing them. These are nice to have on hand as a back up in case you run out of a seasonal design or if you just want to whip up a mini batch of treats for dessert. You can find these in the baking section of your grocery store or in the housewares section of Target and Wal-Mart. If I worked at Reynolds the only thing I would do to improve upon the design of these is to make them in a wider color assortment and with seasonal prints.
As always, thanks for the read!
~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~
© 2006 Freak369
Gingerbread Boy, Dancing Skeletons, Reynolds Mini Pastel, Spooky Ghost, "Just Batty", Ateco Halloween Baking Cup, Standard Halloween, Jolly Santa Mini, Barbie, Ateco Heart, Patriotic Stars, Playful Bunny, Holiday Tree, Scooby Doo, Happy Haunters, Care Bear, "Hearts Embrace", Decorated Eggs, SpongeBob SquarePants, Winnie The Pooh, Snowman, Gold Foil, Superman, Snowflake, Scaredy Cats,Cupcake Heaven, Ice Cream
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): see review
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