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This Mac and Cheese Has a Very Controversial Ingredient People Can’t Stop Talking About

Ni'Kesia Pannell
Ni'Kesia PannellNews & Culture Editor
Ni'Kesia Pannell is the News & Culture Editor at Kitchn. Known as a self-proclaimed Slurpee connoisseur and the Queen of Nostalgic Things, Ni'Kesia spends her spare time running her all-natural beverage business — Peach State Drinks — and binging all the old shows you can name.
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published Dec 19, 2021
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Sheet Pan Macaroni and Cheese Gives You Crispy, Cheesy Topping in Every Bite

There’s no denying that macaroni and cheese is one of the best side dishes of all time. Whether you like it baked or made via stovetop, with multiple cheeses or with one, mac and cheese has a place on everyone’s menus — especially during the holiday season. With Thanksgiving right around the corner, it’s only natural to see an increase of mac and cheese recipes popping up on social media. And while many of them stay in line with all of the traditional fixings that you usually find in the cheesy mixture, there are some people who have us scratching our heads with their version of the classic recipe. Case in point: this now viral mac and cheese recipe that includes raisins.

Taking to her TikTok account on Tuesday, November 2, @texykitchen1 sent the internet into a frenzy when she shared her version of mac and cheese made with the dried fruit. Captioning the post with “I make the best mac n cheese🔥,” the video — which has racked up more than 8 million views since it was posted — has garnered more than 65,000 comments from people questioning her choice of ingredients.

“You lost me at raisins,” one commenter said, while another wrote “I had a smile on my face, and then the raisins came in.” Even OG raisin brand Sunmaid chimed in saying, “Ya even we can’t get on board…”

In the 34-second video, @texykitchen1 — who goes by Chef Texy — began by noting that she made the recipe for her husband because he said “he’s never had a better mac n cheese than when he was in Georgia.” Starting with a block of cheese, followed by adding in the dry macaroni, before pouring in a heavy amount of what looks like heavy whipping cream, all seemed well in her attempt to prove to her husband that her version would be the best of them all.

It wasn’t until she pulled the extra ooey, gooey bake out of the oven to mix it together that things seemed to go south for viewers because that’s when the healthy amount of raisins was added to the dish. And while that may be the thing that got many people talking, it wasn’t where it ended. The self-proclaimed chef then added more cheese and an uneven helping of bread crumbs on top before popping it back in the oven for one last and final bake. Whew! Talk about a lot going on.

While I am one that truly believes that expressing yourself through food is one of the best ways to explore your creativity, I’m not quite sure I’m ready to jump on the mac and cheese with raisins bandwagon. But if that’s your type of thing, I support you in every way possible … just from afar!

If this particular mac and cheese recipe isn’t quite your cup of tea, don’t forget that this year’s Thanksgiving Food Fest will offer up plenty of new recipes for you to try out. And, they probably won’t include raisins.

This post originally ran on Kitchn. See it there: This Woman’s Version of Mac and Cheese Includes Raisins, and Social Media Can’t Stop Talking About It