Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and stir until mixture is smooth.
Add half and half or whole milk to the butter mixture. Whisk continuously over medium heat until sauce just begins to bubble. Note: this may take 10-12 minutes! Make sure you stir the entire time to keep the milk from scalding. Once it begins to bubble, turn burner off but keep the pan on the eye.
Quickly stir cheeses into bubbly milk mixture. Add salt and pepper. Stir until cheese sauce is creamy and thick. Pour prepared elbo macaroni into cheese sauce pot. Stir until cheese is thoroughly incorporated into macaroni.
Option 1: Pour macaroni and cheese into a casserole dish and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Once chilled, scoop 1-2 inch balls of macaroni and place on a wax paper covered shallow pan. Freeze until firm.
Option 2: Scoop prepared macaroni into silicon ice cube trays. Make sure you select a tray with a cube size of 1 inch (or less). Freeze until firm.
How To Fry Mac & Cheese Bites
Remove mac and cheese bites from freezer.
Pour peanut oil into a deep fryer or a large Dutch oven. Heat oil to 375 degrees.
In a small bowl, whisk egg. Pour seasoned Italian breadcrumbs onto a plate.
One at a time, take a frozen mac and cheese bite, dip into egg mixture and then coat in breadcrumbs. Repeat until all bites are coated.
Fry 2-4 bites at a time in the hot oil. Remove when optional crispiness is achieved. Let bites cool on a paper towel lined plate or wire rack.