Name: Crabbies
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 stick butter (softened); 6 oz cheese spread (i.e. Kraft Old English Cheese, alt. Kraft cheez whiz.); 1 1/2 teaspoons mayonnaise; 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt (or garlic powder); 1/2 teaspoon salt; 8 oz lump crabmeat (drained); 6 English muffins (split)

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Crabbies are a deliciously simple seafood appetizer that combines sweet lump crabmeat with creamy butter, rich cheese spread, mayonnaise, and a touch of garlic. The mixture is spread generously over English muffin halves and baked until hot, bubbly, and perfectly crisp around the edges.

Ready in just 15 minutes, these cheesy crab appetizers are ideal for parties, holidays, game days, or whenever you’re looking for an easy appetizer that feels a little special. Even better, Crabbies can be assembled ahead of time and frozen, making them incredibly convenient when you’re entertaining.

Serve them warm from the oven and watch them disappear. With their creamy, cheesy crab topping and crispy toasted muffin base, it’s easy to see why these little bites have earned a reputation as a seafood favorite.

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Crabbies

Course: Appetizers

Cuisine: American, Coastal

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 15

Servings:

Calories: 192.9kcal

Sweet crab meat is mixed with butter, cheese, and mayo to create a sweet, creamy, and cheesy spread.

Smothered all over English muffins and baked until bubbly, these crabbies are the stuff of seafood legends.

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Equipment

1 Electric Mixer

Ingredients

1 stick butter softened
6 oz cheese spread i.e. Kraft Old English Cheese, alt. Kraft cheez whiz.
1 ½ teaspoons mayonnaise
½ teaspoon garlic salt or garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
8 oz lump crabmeat drained
6 English muffins split

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Instructions

If you’re serving these right away, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a large bowl, beat together the softened butter, cheese spread, mayonnaise, garlic salt, and salt at medium speed until well-combined. Gently toss in the crab meat with a fork.
Spread the mixture on top of the muffins, yielding 12 crabbies total.
For make-ahead instructions, skip to the next step. If you’re serving them right away, place the crabbies on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, or until bubbly and crisp. Serve and enjoy!

Make Ahead Directions:

Place the sliced muffins on a baking sheet. Freeze them for 1-2 hours, or until frozen solid.
Transfer the crabbies into freezer-safe bags, squeezing out as much air as you can to prevent freezer burn. Freeze until ready to use.
To reheat, place the crabbies on a baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or broil for 5 minutes, or until crispy and bubbly.

Notes

Suggest using an electric mixer to blend the ingredients. Because of their textures, they’ll be a challenge to whisk by hand.

For extra crispness you can toast the muffins before assembly.

Be sure to use softened butter to make mixing a breeze. You’ll also want to take out the jar of cheese spread out of the fridge 30 minutes beforehand as well.

If you have leftovers, you can freeze them. Wrap them with plastic and foil and then place in breezer bag to prevent freezer burn. May be used for 2-3 months. Reheat at 350 degrees F for about 10 -12 minutes. Since they have been cooked once, suggest adding some shredded cheddar cheese on top for a bit of extra gooeyness.

If you don’t have crab meat, try corned beef. The flavor will of course be different, but delicious just as well.

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Nutrition Disclaimer

Art of Cooking Recipes (Paulson Pursuits} is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.