Macaroni and cheese is kind of a funny thing for me. It isn’t my favorite thing, but I can totally get a craving. Even for the powdery kraft box! But the best kind of macaroni and cheese to me is not the creamy saucy kind, but the kind where you can really taste the cheese. Last weekend my mom was talking about her favorite macaroni and cheese recipe and how there were chunks of sharp cheddar and I knew I had to try it. She explained the basic recipe and I found a similar version on the Southern Plate in order to get amounts.

This recipe uses flour, but no roux so it is pretty easy to make. You just layer in the flour, butter, cheese and milk. A really good aged or sharp cheddar is key. I used Kerrygold Reserve Cheddar for most of the cheese and it was amazing! I only had a 7 ounce block, so I added another 4 ounces of extra sharp cheddar. This recipe is very cheesy and very buttery! I’m sure it could be made with less (I’ll try next time :-))

8 ounces large macaroni (I used big ridged)
2 1/2 tablespoons flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
2-4 tablespoons butter (I used 4 and it was a little greasy)
12 ounces aged or extra sharp chedder (I used 7 ounces Kerrygold Reserve Chedder (YUM!) and 4 ounces Lucerne extra sharp cheddar)
1 cup whole milk

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook macaroni a little less than you would normally (very al dente) since it is getting baked.
3. In a 9 x 9 baking dish put half the cooked macaroni.
4. Mix together the flour, salt and white pepper. Sprinkle half over the macaroni.
5. Add 1/2 the butter in little pieces over the flour.
6. Add 1/2 the cheese in little chunks (this gives great really cheesy bites!)
7. Top with the rest of the macaroni and repeat with the flour mixture, butter, and cheese.
8. Pour milk over the top evenly.
9. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes.