Pepperoni Pizza Bites

Pepperoni Pizza Bites

If I ask my nephew what he wants for dinner,  there’ is a ninety percent chance he will say pizza.    If I had to choose a favorite pizza, it would be the Hawaiian, you know the kind with Canadian bacon, pineapple with a few jalapenos thrown on top for a hint of heat. 

So when I called Seth (he holds the Pioneer Ridge, 7^th grade, 100 meter hurdle record) last Sunday evening and said I was bringing Pepperoni Pizza Bites over for him to sample, he was only too happy to lend his taste buds to my latest cooking venture.   His first comment was that it was just like pizza …. only inside out.  He would be right!  There is pepperoni and cheese on the inside, enclosed in a “crust” and then dipped in warm pizza sauce.

I am using my mini muffin pan again this week and bringing you another recipe to justify its place in your kitchen.  I even went crazy and bought a pan that makes 24!   I have had friends who have made this recipe in a standard cupcake pan (adjust the cooking time), who swear they turn out perfect.

Pepperoni Pizza Bites

Pepperoni Pizza Bites
Adapted from Everyday

Makes 24   (I actually got exactly 24!)

3/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup whole milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
4 ounces pepperoni, cut into small cubes (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup pizza sauce  (I buy the 8 oz cans of pizza sauce)
2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil (optional)

Preheat oven to 375^o.  Grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan.  In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder; whisk in the milk and egg.  Stir in the mozzarella and pepperoni; let stand for 10 minutes.

Stir the batter and divide among the mini-muffin cups.  Bake until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.  (Watch them close.  I have found that all mini muffin cups are not created equal.  My new pan has smaller cups than my old one.)

Microwave the pizza sauce until warmed through, then stir in 1 Tablespoon basil.  Sprinkle the puffs with the remaining 1 Tablespoon basil.  Serve the puffs with the pizza sauce for dipping.

Look at all the pepperoni in the batter!

Pepperoni Pizza Bites

NOTES FROM DEBBIE:

• Anytime I bake, I like the egg and milk to be at  room temperature.
• For this recipe I prefer the finely shredded cheese.
• MORE PEPPERONI … Seth recommends a little bit more.
• I am going to experiment with adding a little “pizza type” seasoning to the batter. Maybe something like a bit of oregano and onion powder.
• Take help from the store …. buy the canned pizza sauce.
• I made a double batch and divided the second batch into snack size portions and froze them.  Now that I am the proud owner of an upright freezer, I am forging blind into the foreign world of “freezing” food.   I will let you know how they hold up when defrosted and re-heated.
• My future batchs will be different flavors …. definitely Hawaiian or maybe spicy sausage with onion and black olives and pepperjack cheese.   Let me know what flavor combinations you try!