By Izzy Giacoppo

Soup is the ultimate comfort food of fall and winter. But what if we could transform that comfort meal into a handheld snack? Imagine this: it is a breezy, overcast autumn day, with all the leaves changing colors and falling off their branches. Your friends come over to watch a football game or your favorite movie, and you have on your comfiest sweatshirt and sweatpants on. Now, all you need to top off this cozy, worry-free fall afternoon is a comforting snack. We recommend trying French onion beef sliders. I personally had no idea what to expect when my mother first found this recipe and decided to make it. But once I had my first slider, I fell in love. Each bite is a satisfying blend of flavorful beef, caramelized onions, and gooey cheese, all between lightly crisped buns. If you want to fall in love like I did, follow this recipe:

Ingredients For Two Dozen Sliders:

• 1 stick butter divided
• 2 large sweet onions, sliced
• 2 pounds of ground beef
• 2 tablespoons beef base, divided (Better than Bouillon highly suggested)
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, divided
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 24 slider buns
• 12-16 ounces Gruyere cheese, shredded
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds (for buns, optional)
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions: 

1. In a pan, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter. Then, add in onions, and lightly caramelize them by cooking them over low-medium heat (around 25-30 minutes). 
2. Mix the ground beef, half of the Worcestershire sauce, and half of the beef base in a bowl. Then, season the beef with salt and pepper.
3. Add the beef in with the onions. Over medium-high, break up the beef and mix it with the onions until the beef is browned. You may have some extra grease after browning the beef, so go ahead and drain it out of the pan.
4. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a baking sheet large enough to tightly fit two dozen buns. Place the bottom buns on the baking sheet and make sure they are close together. Spread the mixture of beef and onions over the buns on the baking sheet. Place the Gruyere cheese on top of the mixture, and cover with the top buns.
5. Melt the butter with the remainder of the beef base in a bowl. Mix in the rest of the Worcestershire sauce. Brush the mixture over the top buns. Sprinkle the buns with all the thyme, sesame seeds, garlic powder, and onion powder.
6. Bake the sliders for 20 minutes, or until the top buns are lightly browned and the cheese is melted.

This process takes about an hour and will leave you with a great smelling kitchen and even better tasting sliders. Even though they are meant to be an appetizer, you may find yourself wanting to have the entire tray to yourself. These sliders are buttery, salty, and loaded with savory flavor. Oh…and a little messy too!